Written in the stars
by W1ntermute
Summary: 18 months after her ascension Queen Jupiter Jones has gone back to her old life with a new boyfriend and outlook on life and things are about the change even more. Small changes from the film. Rated M for future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first fan fic so please be brutally honest and review and I promise to take all feedback positively.

Set about 18 months after the movie. Some OC maybe. Please excuse typos, I'm writing this in wordpad til i get my ms office back up and running.

I don't own any rights to these characters, just wanted to play with them a little. :)

Jupiter had finished cleaning her last house. She was tired and aching. Turning an extra deep King sized mattress on your own will do that to you. Bust besides all the aches and the cloudiness that tried to overwhelm her mind, she was happy. A smile plastered itself across her face every day at the same damn time and that time was when she knew it was time to clock off work and time to go meet the new love of her life. Well new is a stretch but for Jupiter Jones a relationship that lasted longer than 6 months really was a new occurrence. Her family had yet to meet Cain but they didn't pry and she secretly thanked them for that. They'd spoken to him a couple of times on the phone over the last 18 months and Jupiter had let them see a few strategically posed photos of him that were taken so that his ears were covered by a baseball cap, his mouth closed to hide his canines and his wings out of shot. She hated having to lie to the people she loved but she knew they needed time. Not just time to adjust to the idea of Cain being an Alien but time to realise how much she truly loved him so that when she did tell them the truth they trusted that she knew what she was doing.

Things had been moving pretty quickly over the last few months. Cain had come out of his shell dramatically. Not only pledging Jupiter his allegiance as her loyal subject and security detail but also his heart, his soul, his very being and she should have found it overwhelming but she didn't It was like this adoration, this intensity and devotion was what she'd been waiting for all these years. And Cain's heart would agree.

"I know you're there." Jupiter called out quietly with a coy smile on her face as she walked home via a shortcut through the back of the park near her home. The sun was setting, casting shadows and dappled colour through the trees and onto the freshly cut grass.

She felt the air around her shift ever so slightly. Felt a shadow cast down on her right just behind her. "Your Majesty shouldn't be walking around alone in this neighborhood. There are dangerous people about" He didn't land. She felt him hovering, his presence taller than normal. She knew he didn't have his wings out, she would have felt the breeze but it was too risky being seen this close to the ground with such a span of feathers around him.

"Well then it's a good job that the most dangerous of all the dangers just happens to be a close and personal friend of mine isn't it?" Jupiter carried on walking, not looking back and not needing to. She knew that Cain's lips would have quirked up in a playful smile, his wolf ears pricked up sensing every ounce of her and their surroundings.

"Close?" He repeats hovering by her left side now a little closer.

"Very close." Jupiter keeps her stride up but can feel the pulsing from Cain's hover boots about her calves and the heat from his body burning into her back he's so near. As he lowers to the ground he reaches out a strong hand to snake about her waist, halting her stride and pulling her back to his chest. He leans into her right ear, "And Personal?" His voice a low rumble, more growl than speech. His hand finds its way up from her waist, stopping momentarily to cup her breast then splays against her delicate throat as if holding a beautiful vase. Firm enough to be sure you wouldn't drop it but gently enough to be sure you didn't crush it and all the time knowing this was a gift that was yours and yours alone.

Jupiter notices the change in his cadence and leans her head back against his shoulder allowing him to nuzzle her neck. "Intimately..." She replies pulling his other hand about her waist and splaying it against her stomach slowly inching it down inside of the waist band of her jeans. She can feel Cain's arousal growing against her back, his lips, his tongue nursing her neck and he scents her own arousal growing. He could smell her a mile away. Her need is thick, it hangs in the air like a web it's almost tangible it's so potent. His hand reaches towards her heat, two fingers dip then...

"HEY TOBY!?"

A small German Shepherd comes bounding out of nowhere snapping Cain and Jupiter out of their daze. Cain is instantly at attention, able to switch mode at a moments notice. Before the dog gets too close he steps in front of Jupiter protectively.

"TOBY GET OVER HERE BOY!"

The owner is close but not yet in sight and Toby has stopped before Cain and Jupiter. He stairs at Cain, his nose twitching, trying to scent exactly what it is, Cain is. The answer is negative. Cain's eyes darken, his brow narrowing and his ears pin back as do Toby's. Toby's tail tucks low but he emits a growl that is anything but passive. Cain gives him full and solid eye contact. He slowly lowers to a squat, letting go of Jupiter. Toby edges closer but Cain doesn't flinch, he doesn't even bare his teeth, he just keeps that eye contact as Toby gets closer. Jupiter keeps silent unconsciously holding her breath. And then, just like that, the tension is gone. Toby's tail rises, begins to wag as he lowers his head to close the space between him and Cain. Cain allows Toby to sniff the back of his hand before giving him a friendly pet.

"Tobes! There you are!" A middle aged man approaches, seemingly a little out of shape and a little out of breath holding a leash and shaking his head. "That's it Toby, we're going home. It's late, I'm tired and you've had enough excitement for one day." He barely notices Jupiter and Cain, "Oh hey guys, sorry, Toby's a little bit of a roamer."

"No problem, " Cain responds, calm and reserved. "Goodnight sir" And he takes Jupiter's hand to take her with him off into a clearing.

When they're out of sight and ear shot Jupiter yawns turning to Cain, she's still exhausted but the night is still young. "What the hell was that?"

"What?"

"With the Dog?"

"He was suspicious of me. It's happened before with other canines."

"Why?"

"They're not sure what to make of me, the scents are a bit warped but the energies are similar to what they're used to reading."

"And what energy did Toby read from you in the end?"

"Alpha energy." He said it so matter of factly, no arrogance, not pretense, no pride, just fact.

"Are you automatically alpha to any animal you meet?"

Cain shook his head, "No, but few animals have tested me to find out otherwise."

Jupiter smiled and leaned into his side. "Can we go back to your place?"

Cain smiled back, "Your Majesty," He knew she liked it when he called her that. He held out his hand for her to take. She stepped into his warmth and wrapped her arms around his waist. He looked around before removing his heavy leather duster and wrapping that around Jupiter. His wings stretch to their full awesome span. Jupiter never gets tired of seeing them. They, he, is magnificent. Cain beats his wings a couple of times shaking out the cobwebs of having them tucked up under a coat for so long, and then they're off. Up into the night sky.

So what do you think? There's more to come if you want to read it.


	2. Chapter 2

This kinda shoulda followed on from Chapter 1 but I ran out of time and brain so here it is. We'll get into the meat of the story soon too don't worry but for now a little smutty fluff smut. And again excuse any typos and grammar farts.

Chapter 2

They touched down on a rooftop on the outskirts of the city. Jupiter had used her name to help rent Cain a loft apartment there. The landlord was happy to lease it to a pretty lady and truth be told, Cain would be doing him a favor by keeping an eye on the rest of the building that served as a warehouse. As Cain lowered Jupiter to her feet she swayed slightly, not enough to fall but enough for him to notice.

"You alright?"

Jupiter smiled and shook it out. "Been a long day."

Cain pushed open the door to his new home. It was minimal on decor but all Cain. Legion, tracker, splice from wall to wall. Weapons, and armour were hooked, and shelved and closeted everywhere. He had a huge open place space with a four poster bed that consisted of a king sized mattress on top of a simple box divan base surrounded by a DIY polished metal rigging of scaffold poles to make the posts, in the middle of the room. Against the far wall at the foot of the bed was the open plan kitchen area. To one side of the bed in the far corner was a kick bag and weights, a makeshift work out area. Where there were tools, weapons and armour everywhere else, the kitchen was always pristine. The bathroom was off to the left through a wide doorway and housed a huge walk in shower to one corner and a steel trough like bath tub to the other. Jupiter had tried to figure out what this place used to be in it's previous life but still couldn't place it. The warehouse owner said it was a meat packing factory at one point. Cain's sensitive nose said that sounded about right.

Jupiter sat down on a beat up couch watching Cain take off his armour. He was down to a black vest and his tactical pants, shoes and socks were gone. She smiled up at him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He turned to her while taking a seat on the edge of the bed and started tinkering with his weaponised wrist guard.

"I dunno, I like you like this. Don't get me wrong I love you strong and protecty and all that but I l really love to see this part of you."

"What's so different? I look the same."

Jupiter shook her head. "No, here, with me, you're something else. I love that only I get to see you like this, not weak at all but...vulnerable kinda..."

"Your Majesty can see me anyway she likes." Cain smiled playfully putting his wrist guard down and holding a hand out for Jupiter to come over and take.

Jupiter got up off the couch making her way over to him slowly. They'd started something in that park they'd yet to finish. She got close enough for Cain to pull her waist to him gently. As he was sitting and she was standing he got to nuzzle her stomach if he craned his head slightly. Jupiter ran her fingers through his close cropped hair back and forth momentarily paying attention to the nape of his neck and shoulders.

"Are you scenting me?" Jupiter noticed the rhythmic way Cain rubbed his face back and forth, left side, right side, nose, back and forth, circular around Jupiter's stomach.

"I smell you." His voice was a low rumble now.

"Do I stink?" Jupiter went to pull back but Cain's strength locked in and held her close.

"No...no...good." Cain's fingers held Jupiter's hips so firmly she wouldn't be surprised if there were bruises in the morning but there was something about his possessiveness which made her not care. He'd now tugged her shirt out of her pants and was nuzzling his nose against her bare skin. The nuzzling turned to kissing, licking, every so often nipping as he ghosted his teeth across her soft flesh. The first time he'd done this to her it instantly and equally frightened and excited her. She soon realised it was something left over from his canine side. During mating it was always about hands, claws and teeth and over the months they'd been together her pleasure pain threshold had been blurred to hell. Cain the animal awakened the beast, his ferocious queen. He called her that when they trained and he called her that when they made love and every time it turned her the hell on.

Jupiter took Cain's head gently but firmly in her hands. Every inch of her ached for him, her heart thudded in her chest just like it was the first time. She raised his chin so his gaze was on hers. His eyes were drained of colour. Two black orbs stared back at her glistening in the now dim light, shining like the rain that had started to fall outside. "What do you smell?"

"Blood." Cain's canines seemed to have elongated, they were more prominent now peaking out from his lips when he spoke.

"I'm not on my period" Jupiter responded a little confused.

Cain closed his eyes, "No, meat, death." Then Cain lowered his head again, his hands seeming to work on their own to undo Jupiter's belt. Once that was done he unzipped her pants and tugged them down to her ankles helping Jupiter step out of them. His hands then returned to posses her hips, her butt.

"Oh the factory that was here before? You smell that, still?" Cain nodded wordlessly his nose now nuzzling her pubic mound nearly causing her knees to buckle. Her breath was starting to staccato. Jupiter's fingers went to the tips of Cain's ears. Her nails stung a trail down the backs of his ears to his nape again and she swore then he really did growl.

In a split second he'd scooped her up around her waist and whipped her onto her back in the middle of the bed. The wind nearly knocked out of Jupiter but the want, in her chest, in her eyes and between her legs burned nearly out of control. She wasn't going to last long. She couldn't remember Cain pulling his shirt off but there he was hovering above her on his elbows bare chested. Scars peppered his chest and arms. His Wings were tucked tight behind him and she had to taste him. She pulled his face to hers and the kiss was like she had been waiting to breathe. He devoured her mouth and she matched him for every inch of it. The play of his tongue, the suckle of his lips, with so much vigor that she cut her lip on one of his canines. Cain's eyes flashed something primal while his mouth sought to clean up every drop.

"Does blood make you hot?" Jupiter managed to get out between the assault on her mouth. Cain's lips moved to her neck, his obvious arousal grinding into hers as she widened her legs to pull him deeper, harder against her.

"Sometimes blood..." He moved to ghost his canines over the other side of her neck, "...the wolf..the hunt...meat...it's familiar. He drew the pulse in her neck into his mouth and suckled on it like a dog worrying a bone. "I can choose to ignore it..."

Jupiter gently pulled his face back to so their eyes could meat once again, "...But tonight?"

"Tonight I feel like maybe I can free myself that bit further...with you."

"It's dangerous?" Jupiter tried not to push too far when Cain was sharing something new but this, was something else.

"Very." His eyes seemed to see him spill back into himself.

"Because you trust me?"

Then that perfectly slight smile returned to Cain's beautiful mouth while he shook his head gently. ", No, because I trust me. I trust that what I feel for you, what you mean to me, even my primal side wouldn't dare harm you."

Cain pulled Jupiter's shirt over her head. She arched her back off the bed and perched on her elbows so Cain could undo her bra and slip it off her arms. His face immediately went to her breasts, a wonderful pert handful. Her nipples swollen almost painful begging for attention and attention he gave each one. His nose nuzzling her again between attending each sensitive peak, his hands clawing at her flesh before his mouth nipped, and licked it's way south. Cain tugged at her underwear and Jupiter lifted her butt so he could pull them down and rid himself of the damned barrier. His eyes pooled to black orbs once more. Jupiter noticed.

"You're scenting me again." He nudged her knees further apart while his tongue worshiped each hip bone, his hands pushing beneath her butt to present her core to him like some trophy cup.

"Yes." Simple, strangled and pent up. His voice definitely was a growl this time.

"What is it?"

"You," He kissed her left hip bone then nuzzled her pubic mound

"Me?" His fingers were digging into the flesh of her ass before releasing short of drawing blood. She definitely felt longer nails than usual.

"You're in heat."

And before she could say another word Cain's tongue licked a line up her slick core from the very bottom to her sensitive nub, slow and undulating and it crashed her into the mattress then rose her into the stars.

"Holy fuck!"

He didn't stop but a fleeting smile danced across his lips which was both man and wolf. He dove into her with abandon, seeking out every fold, every nook and alternating between taking that bunch of nerve endings captive into his mouth and inserting two fingers deep inside her to seek out and caress the other sensitive spot, and she came again, and again. He held her firm while her hips bucked and her ankles locked across his back almost crushing his wings but he didn't care. He would not stop until she had no more to give. "CAIN!..." was the last coherent word she uttered before she melted back into the mattress panting, limp and covered in a sheen of perspiration.

Cain lay there a few moments between her legs, watching her moist lips glisten with her own climax, plump and pink from his ministrations while Jupiter's body jerked with mini after shocks.

Cain then pulled himself up level with Jupiter whose eyes were closed but her mouth just about able to speak. She felt Cain kiss her shoulder, then her jaw and she opened her eyes to look at him. "Holy, holy.." He chuckled then, and it was a lovely sound. He didn't laugh much but when he did it was always wonderful.

"I pleased Your Majesty?"

Jupiter grinned this time, "You fucking think? What the hell just happened? I feel turned inside out."

Cain casually caressed Jupiter's breasts, one after the other, absently paying attention to her now super sensitive nipples.

"You're in heat."

"Like a dog?" She tried to not look offended.

Cain smiled, "Not quite but similar. When human females are fertile for around a week a month in between what you call your period, human males should be able to sense it but centuries of evolution has muddied their senses. Mine have not been dampened with time and tonight I let the wolf take over a little more than usual. I think something in my wolf awakened something in your primal side too."

Then he kissed her again. Jupiter could taste herself on his lips and she never grew tired of how erotic she found that. She murmured into the kiss, "Lose the pants!"

Cain did as he was told and proceeded to undo his belt beside her.

"Uh uh wolf man. Not here...There." Jupiter pointed to the foot of the bed.

Cain looked quizzical but obliged her by getting up off the bed and standing at the foot of it facing her. His eyes never left her and she never broke the contact. He could hear her pulse had quickened back up, she was up to something and hell if she didn't look sexy as all hell while she was at it. He pushed his pants and underwear down and stepped out of them but he didn't attempt to climb back into the bed. He just stood there, unashamed, so hard and thick and chiseled and something inside Jupiter made her feel drunk. He looked like a Greek statue, the kind that were marveled over in galleries or worshiped in ancient times.

"Hands on the rigging." Jupiter nodded her head up to the reinforced steel strut that made up the metal of the posts surrounding the bed. She hoped it was strong enough. She got on her hands and knees, playing every bit the wolf female and crawled slowly down the bed towards him. His eyes were dark again, his lips parted to show fang. Jupiter got up on her knees before him and placed a hand on each of his wrists where his own hands gripped the bar above his head. She leaned into his ear. "No touching..."

She nipped at his collar bone on both sides then kissed his mouth deep and hard while her hands drew nails down his arms to stop under his shoulder blades. Cain hissed and gripped the bar when her teeth grazed over his nipples now as hard as hers were. And she teased them mercilessly. She lowered her mouth further while her nails raked pink lines down his chest, over his nipples causing him to grip the bar that much tighter. Her nails raked down his stomach then moved back to his firm tight ass and she dug her fingers into the meat of its perfection as she bit down on his left hip bone.

The metal rigging shook this time and she smiled moving over to his other hip bone and bit down again while nails dug into his thighs and the rigging shook again followed by a low rumble from deep in Cain's chest she almost didn't notice. She smiled when she gently took Cain's swollen member in her hand and looked up at him. He couldn't take his eyes off her. She blew across the tip and he flinched, his knuckles mottling from the tightness of his grip. Jupiter lifted his length up and did to him what he did to her earlier. She licked a long slow but firm line from the base of his balls to the tip of his cock and the noise he let out was nothing that she'd heard before from him. His eyes refused to leave her but as she slowly took all of him in her mouth his resolve left him. His head tipped back, his hips jerked forward and he nearly bought the rigging down on both their heads.

Jupiter used her hands to help her take as much of him in her mouth as she could. He was too much to deep throat but she did her best between taking him in and paying attention to his sensitive tip. When she worried her tongue along that sensitive strip just under the head she could have sworn she heard Cain whine. That's when she went for it hard and deep and fast she sucked, using tongue and teeth and lips and hands. She wanted him to feel what she felt.

"Jupiter!" His voice was low and strangled, it made her raise her head to look at him gazing down at her with such intensity. "I want to be inside you." Such purity, a request as if he was asking something so much more. He looked like his life hung on the answer.

Jupiter moved back up onto her knees "Cain..." , a hand cradled the back of Cain's head to pull him with her down to the mattress and once again something inside her had shifted, something profound but she couldn't put her finger on it until...

"I just need..." Cain was reaching by the bed for a small foil packet but Jupiter stayed his hand. Something in her eyes had changed.

"It will protect you, "

Her heart nearly broke, "From what Cain? From you?"

He could barely look at her, "You don't want my offspring." It wasn't a question.

"Who says?" She raised his chin so he was looking at her. His eyes were pleading with her to understand.

"You don't know what they will be, I don't know what they will be. The Splices aren't supposed to procreate. The only reason I haven't been sterilized was so my aggression wasn't dampened, to make me the best fighter I can be."

"Cain, " Jupiter cupped his cheek and pulled him level to her side. Her other hand trailed down his arm and took the foil packet. "I'm not afraid. Our children will be beautiful and I will love them just as much as I love you. Something has been happening with us, I don't know what it is. Ever since we got back from the Aegis my heads been all over the place. I'm constantly forgetting to take my birth control pills and before I met you I would freak out every time I did but now. Now maybe this is what's supposed to happen."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying maybe like my birthright to own this crazy frikkin planet, maybe it's written in the stars that I meet you, that you fix what was broken in me and you did and now I fix what is missing in you."

"But you've done that, I found you." Cain caressed her cheek. "We found each other."

Jupiter smiled. "Maybe we're supposed to make you the pack you've been longing for." Jupiter dropped the foil packet on to the floor and pulled Cain in for a kiss. She'd never seen him look so terrified.

"Are you sure? We might not even be genetically compatible after what the Splicer's did to me..."

"Well there's only one way to find out isn't there...If it's truly written in the stars, how about let's let the universe decide huh?" And she pulled Cain down towards her.

...

So Chapter 2. Hoped you liked it. It didn't end the way I intended but it kinda wrote itself that way so I didn't force it otherwise. Please rate and review. Still feeling my way out with this one. More story to come and maybe's some more fluff


	3. Chapter 3

Here is chapter 3 itsa bit of a slow burn here but it will pick up soon. Also only just realised i've been spelling Caine's name wrong haha, I'll try to correct that as i go on but it might slip between with or without e from time to time.

CHAPTER 3

Jupiter woke up the next morning to the sound of her phone buzzing by the side of the bed. It was her work alarm but it was her day off so she ignored it. She blinked the fuzziness from her eyes slowly realising the source of the warm weight across her abdomen. Turning her head to her right saw Caine asleep on his stomach facing her. His wings were tucked behind him, relaxed against his back. His eyelids fluttered every now and then and his breathing was barely audible. He looked peaceful. He told her once that she gave him peace but as Jupiter took physical inventory she realised last night like many nights before them was anything but peaceful. She had scratches across her stomach, bruises forming over left breast and the right side of her neck and collar. Her hips were tender, and she was sore in...other places too. Her eyes glanced down at Caine's muscled arm, his fingers splayed across her ribs and brushing the underside of one breast. He had scratches down the forearm.

"Serves you right, " She whispered smiling to herself and trailing a light finger touch up one of the red marks on his arm.

Caine's hand began to drift and sought out Jupiter's heart and rested there between her breasts. His eyes opened. A rye smile on his face.

"Morning," Jupiter smiled down at him.

Caine shifted closer slightly laying a gentle kiss on Jupiter's shoulder. "Your Majesty." His smile turned into a frown suddenly as his thumb brushed the bruise forming on her collar. His hand then moved to the bruise on her breast. "You must tell me next time when I'm being too rough."

Jupiter took his hand and kissed it before he could pull it away. "And when you are, I will."

The smile returned hesitantly to Cain's lips as he rolled onto his side. "I forget that you aren't as robust as I am."

"Robust maybe, not invincible." Jupiter nodded her head down to where blood peppered the sheets from where she'd bitten Cain's hip bones. She half did and half didn't realise how hard she was biting him at the time but she knew now, and hell, he never told her to stop.

"Do we need to buy you a muzzle?" Caine raised an eyebrow mocking.

"That's rich!" Jupiter gave him a shove with her foot nearly knocking him off the bed.

Caine sat up with his back to Jupiter and stretched in a fake sulk. Jupiter came up behind him, crushing his feathers and kissed his shoulder. "Sad Puppy?" Few people could get away with calling him a puppy. He kinda liked it when she did though. He'd never tell her that but he'd also never tell her to stop it. When he didn't reply, Jupiter ran her hands down his ribs, either side and when her fingers reached the bite marks on his hips she squeezed.

In an instant Caine hissed, then growled, whipping her up and into his lap, her legs astride him. "You play dirty."

Jupiter cocked her head in innocence and whispered into Caine's ear, "You like me dirty." She took the lobe between her teeth, tugged, kissed and then released it.

He smiled, she wasn't wrong. He kissed her good morning, properly and then kissed her some more. Jupiter inched her groin closer to her goal as Caine stirred to life underneath her but he had other plans. He picked her up, stood up and plonked her on her feet taking her face in the palms of his hands, "We need to get dressed."

This time Jupiter was pouting, "Can't we stay in bed for once?. It's my day off"

"We said we'd check in on Stinger and Kiza."

"Oh crap is that today? I totally forgot."

Caine had already slung a towel over his shoulder and was in the kitchenette making coffee. He took a box of half eaten pizza from the fridge and set it down on the side after pouring two mugs of the hot beverage.

"I'm just gonna grab a shower." Caine padded off with Jupiter behind him. After all someone had to get all his hard to reach places.

... JA...

45mins later they were washed, dressed and getting ready to leave. Caine headed over to his weapons rack and took down a small hand gun to place in his thigh holster and two flat blades that slotted into forearm holsters. He slipped the fingerless glove like contraption that created his shield, over his hand and pulled his leather duster on over his wings.

"Ya know you're gonna have to let me have my own gun one day."

Caine considered the request, "one day. Until then, you have me."

"Then why train me in close combat?"

"Because,..." Caine hooked an arm around Jupiter's waist to guide her out to the balcony, "If someone gets passed me to get to you, it's the last thing they'll expect."

"But you don't expect me to ever need to use it right?"

"Right."

Caine and Jupiter hovered off the balcony ledge and into the Chicago sky. Again, Caine didn't use his wings, it was a lot harder to hide those during the day.

...JA...

They flew for nearly an hour before spotting Stinger's new home in the distance. Since the beat up old house got destroyed by the trackers over a year ago Stinger had found a new place to live with the help of Jupiter. Turned out owning earth had its perks.

Caine and Jupiter lowered to the ground in the middle of what used to be a vintage botanical garden. It had been disused for decades and when Jupiter found it one day. When Stinger moved in the land was mostly overgrown with weeds and some wild flowers. There was a house on the site which was a converted barn. It was too big for Kiza and Stinger alone but it served them well enough and they always had room for company.

The grounds were now a far cry from the jungle they used to be. The place was awash with wild flowers and colony after colony of bees. It meant that people stayed away for the most part which suited Kiza and Stinger just fine.

Jupiter and Caine walked up through the fields at the rear of the house in silence for the most part until Jupiter's ticking brain had to find release.

"Can you still smell me?"

"Yes."

"What's it like?"

Caine considered this a moment, "Hard to explain, it's not a scent like a fragrance is a scent. It starts off as a smell so feint it's barely a smell at all and then it turns into more of a feeling like muscle memory. One sensory experience triggers another more powerful one. "

"And you've gone through this with me every month since we've known each other?"

"Yes." He was going monosyllabic again.

Jupiter knew that meant either he wanted the conversation to stop or he was being very cautious about how it proceeded. "I didn't know. " She stopped walking. "It must be awful for you."

Caine stopped and turned to Jupiter seeing the concern in her eyes. "I'm not my animal. I have instinct and I have free will. I've been trained to ignore one, or the other when needed. Being around you while you're...fertile," he smiled and took her hand to pull her closer, "is bearable. A lesson in restraint."

They started walking again and Cain could feel the shift in Jupiter's mood. "Last night. If we did..." Caine glanced over at her still with her hand in his. "...could you sense it, could you tell?"

"This early I'm not sure. Physiologically the symptoms would be too minute for me to pick up but maybe a few more days in, a week maybe then I think so."

"You're worried." Jupiter made it a statement not a question. Caine was getting ready to respond when,

"JUPITER!" The high pitched squeal came from the back porch where Kiza was outside watering plants and now she was bounding towards Caine and Jupiter like an excited Labrador. Kiza flung her arms around Jupiter first.

"You didn't say you were coming today!"

"We wanted to surprise you." Caine offered. Kiza jumped up to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him on the cheek. Kiza hopped down looking curious.

"What are these faces?" She put her hands on her ships, "You guys in the middle of something?"

Caine remained silent but Jupiter put an arm around her shoulder, "No don't be silly. Where's Stinger?"

"He's in the den. Come on, I'm just finishing up lunch. We're having honey roast chicken and all the trimmings."

Jupiter laughed tugging 19 year old Kiza close, "of course you are."

As they got closer to the house the bees came to greet Queen Jupiter, they swarmed around her like a buzzing mist. She smiled. She'd never get used to that but she didn't mind at all.

"Jupe!" Stinger got up from his stool in the den where he was tinkering with something that looked like a robot arm. His wings were tucked behind him out of the way. Far too many things to get them snagged on in there. Jupiter went over to him hugging him from behind and kissing him on the temple.

"This place is looking really great, you guys suit it."

"Thanks luv, " Stinger replied in his gruff northern brogue, "No harm in a bit of peace and quiet."

"Other than the constant buzzing, " Caine interjected.

"Watch it pup, they'll hear ya." Stinger pointed at him.

"Not as much as I hear them."

"Maybes afta you've filled ya belly you'll be less cranky eh?"

Caine couldn't argue with that, he was horny and hungry. One thing at a time.

...JA...

After lunch came dinner and after that they all sat and drank a while. Of course the choices were honey rum, honey beer or honey cider but they couldn't complain. It all tasted great.

"C'mon lad, lets put that show muscle of yours ta use. Give'us a hand with this SST." Stinger got up.

"SST?" Jupiter queried.

"Sub space translocator, " Kiza filled her in. "Dad salvaged it from a wreckage 6 weeks ago and he's been obsessed with fixing it ever since. Trouble is, it takes more than one person and I'm no help."

"Ya mean you refused ta help missy." Stinger corrected.

Kiza smiled and shrugged as Caine and Stinger left the dining room to head out back to the barn's adjacent garage. As soon as they were out of sight Kiza turned to Jupiter with a huge smile on her face and clutching her glass with glee. "Sooo...you guys! Let me see your hand?!" Kiza grappled with Jupiter.

"Hey! How much of that damn honey booze have you had?" Jupiter pulled her hand back.

"No ring? Really? Sad face" Kiza pouted and moved over to the couch in the other half of the dining room. She took the bottle of honey rum with her followed closely by Jupiter. "You guys suck! I thought you were coming by to announce something."

Jupiter smiled, "Aww, I'm sorry. No plans for that just yet."

"At least tell me you've talked about it."

"Not yet nope."

Kiza's face turned into a frown as she took a sip from her glass.

"But..."

Kiza's eyebrows raised, her face perking up.

Jupiter pointed to her ears and then nodded in the direction the men went. Kiza knew what she was getting at, "Oh don't worry the generator will be on so loud they won't hear a thing. So...?"

"Well...last night we kinda made a decision."

Kiza was on the edge of her seat. Almost literally. "and?"

"And we're kinda gonna see if fate delivers us a pack of our own some day."

"FUCK OFF!" Kiza nearly dropped her glass.

Jupiter laughed and poured herself another drink.

"Hey you shouldn't be drinking!" Kiza went to grab her glass but Jupiter dodged her and tugged it back.

"I'm not in the club yet kiddo."

Then Kiza poured herself some more. "I don't even know where to start. Are you sure? Is he sure? How will it work?"

Jupiter smiled shrugging, "No, No and I'm guessing the way it works for most people? Did Daddy stinger not tell you about bees at least?"

Kiza swotted Jupiter on the shoulder, "Very funny. But why now?"

"I dunno, it kinda felt right. I didn't think it through but I don't really want to. Is that messed up?"

Kiza considered a moment. "Yes. Very but if anyone can pull this off you guys can. I wish my Mom could have been around when I was growing up. You guys will do great and lets face it, a mini Caine has got to be adorable." Then Kiza's face changed.

"What?" Jupiter became concerned. "What are you thinking?"

"Well...Cain is a Lycantant. He's part woof right? Well ish."

"Part woof?" Jupiter chuckled, "He's gonna love that. But so what?"

"So don't they have like 20 kids at a time?"

"Haha, I don't think so. Maybe more like 5 of 6 but that won't count for me. I'm not a Lycantant female." Jupiter tried to sound convincing.

Kiza looked sympathetic. "You're gonna look like a Santas sack!."

"Shut up you!"

They both laughed this time but a tiny part in the back of Jupiter's thoughts wondered what if this really was something she should be concerned about. Nah. Surely not right?.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

"Pass us that driver mate,"

Caine handed Stinger the small flat metal contraption and what looked like something close to a screwdriver. Caine himself was using something like a soldering iron on the underside of the SST machine. Caine wore small light sensitive goggles to protect his eyes from the flare of the irons tip. The two men had mostly worked in silence with a smattering of conversation reminiscing over the old days but that soon changed.

"You've been taking less work off planet lately" Stinger laid it out there as if the comment could be taken or left. And he knew it wouldn't be left.

Caine didn't look up from his work, "I'm the Queen's security detail, " he responded flatly.

"Yea, among other things..." Stinger smiled, causing Caine to beat back a small smile too.

"I want to stay close. Just in case. Ever since the Aegis lifted the cordon from Earth I feel like she's exposed..."

"and?" Stinger pressed.

Caine moved on to another part of the SST and started soldering there. "And it's difficult. She's...changing."

"You guys going through some trouble?"

"No. Not like that. It started when we got back from the refinery. When I met her she was this delicate, fearful creature and then after everything following her ascension she's become definitely stronger, more fearless."

"Is that a bad thing?" Stinger stood up with tools in hand so he could access a small cavity on the right side of the SST.

"It's not that simple. It's just...different. She asked me to train her. So I have, hand to hand only. She wants weapons training. So far I've refused but I won't be able to for long."

"What are you afraid of?"

"I guess a part of me thinks she'll go off somewhere over confident and under trained and get herself killed and I can't have that. I can't."

"You can't wrap her in cotton wool lad. You've got to trust her. Talk to her about it, she'll understand. Or maybe she won't but you need to keep communication open. All else is the death of any relationship, trust me I know."

"Stinger I didn't mean to..."

"No bother lad. It was a long time ago. She was a soldier to start with so she was always going to be in potential danger. Maybe that's why it worked. We both accepted that either one of us could never come back each day. Made us appreciate what we had. And when Kiza came along, well everything changed. She got more fierce, protective. As did I. And when Noaxa died it was...difficult but I had to be strong for Kiza. She was the miracle that saved me just like Jupiter saved you."

Caine put down his tools, took off his goggles and sat up "I think She's pack patterning"

Stinger put his tools down and poured them both another drink. "I wondered how long that would take."

"You could see it happening?"

"Caine, you guys were destined for each other. A blind zotacarian could see that. It's why she wanted training, her protective instinct, her ferocity in all its appetites would increase..."

Caine's mind flashed back to the night before and his eyes flashed to quicksilver and back again.

"Before you know it she'll be nesting." Stinger took a swig from his mug.

"Yea we may have skipped that step," Caine rubbed his brow with the back of his hand and stood up to stretch out protesting muscles.

Stinger's face was lit up, "Congratulations. I wonder why the bees didn't notice?"

"Easy there Stinger. She isn't. Not yet anyway. We kinda decided to see what happens."

"Since when?"

"Since last night."

"Oh then it's early days." Stinger sensed some unease in Caine. "So what's bothering you about it? Do you not really want.."

"I do!" Caine butt in. "It's just, so many factors right now. Is it the right time, are we even on the right world? She's definitely the right person but am I? Who knows if we are even compatible and what if it comes out...wrong?"

"Wrong?"

Caine looked down and started packing his tools away. "Like I did."

Stinger shook his head, got up and walked over to Caine, "Oh lad, " He cupped Caine's shoulder. "There ain't a damn wrong thing about you. Them bloody splice bastads really did a number on you but know this. She is a Queen and you are Alpha Lycantant. Splice or no splice that's a recipe for greatness. Kiza was born with several genetic anomalies and look at her, she's pretty bloody perfect."

Caine smiled, "Agreed."

"She's the best thing I ever did with this life Caine. Don't let your own demons deny yourself the same."

Caine nodded. Stinger nodded back and patted his shoulder. There was nothing more to be said. And with that he left Stinger to finish up on his own.

It was moving on 9pm and the sun was nearly done setting in the evening sky. Out there in the countryside sunset seemed to last that little bit longer and burn that little bit brighter for the time of year. Caine had come back into the dining room to find Kiza lying on the sofa eating ice cream while flicking through pictures on her phone.

"Hey Caine, come take a selfie with me!" Kiza's brow raised in anticipation but she knew the response that was coming.

"Sorry kiddo, Lycantants don't take selfies."

"Buzzkill!" She wrinkled her nose at him.

Caine smiled and went over to her tussling her hair and lay a kiss on her head, "I think you'll find you're more of the buzz, I'm just the kill. Where's Jupiter?"

Kiza shrugged, "Said she wanted some fresh air. She's outside. Try the lake."

Caine thought he smelled water near by. A lake huh.

"Here take these" Kiza called after him. As soon as Caine turned to her he got two blankets in the face and her laughter to go with it. "It can get chilly out there after sunset."

Caine bared his teeth, "Game on Kiza!" He dumped the blankets on the floor and hunkered down into attack pose. Kiza, giggled, shrieked and ran off, "No...DAD!?"

Caine picked the blankets back up smiling and heard Stinger's voice in the distance muttering, "It's like I have two children..."

Caine called out, "COWARD!"

To which Kiza yelled back, "NOPE, SMART!"

Caine couldn't argue with that as he stepped off the porch and into the gardens. He couldn't see Jupiter and her scent was pretty feint. She was either further than he thought or she was in the water. The Gardens were covered in wild flowers. There were the odd bits of clearing, a few man made paths but for the most part it was like a beautiful jungle.

"Caine..." He definitely heard that. His ears perked right up. Then a rustle of grass and a rapid heartbeat. Jupiter knew what simulating the hunt did to Caine's carnal and instinctual prey drive. The speed of her pulse, the smell of her skin now bleeding through his senses. His eyes dilated and flashed that silver again. He tucked the blankets under his arms and hunkered down following Jupiter's scent.

A couple of yards in and it took a sharp turn. The wind changed direction and swirled the essence of her around him. She smelled like soap, strawberries and jasmine shampoo, sweat, sex, she was still in heat. But something else. Caine sniffed the air again, shutting down his ears for a moment.

He growled deep in his throat. He smelled blood. That was the full caveat, to bring him into total hunt mode. His pants were already feeling constricting. He had to find her and have her. Or die trying!

Caine took off again, this time a little slower a little more cautious, tactful, predatory. Something rustled to his right. It seemed like the wind but there was more than that when he set his nose to seek out the root of the noise. Field mouse. Damnit! He moved on. The lake wasn't far now, he could smell it, all moss and reeds and soil and he could hear the distant ripple of something living breaching the waters surface, probably fish, maybe some kind of lizard or a bird and then there she was. Her scent was back, strong! Her heartbeat was pounding in his head, her blood, her sweat filled his nostrils. Caine ran to toward the clearing by the lake as fast as he could with the blankets tucked under his arm.

He came to an abrupt stop by a huge tree. Her scent stopped there but she was nowhere to be found. He turned to look out toward the lake, there were no boats, there were no other people but her scent was there, her blood was there. He looked harder and didn't notice Jupiter slowly lowering herself from the branches of the tree behind him. When his ears did perk up to the rustling of her descent it was too late, he turned just in time to have her hang down from a branch and put the weight of both her boots to his chest.

"Umffh!" The kick caused him to lose his footing and drop the blankets stumbling backwards a few steps.

"Took you long enough." She had a mischievous smile on her face as she jumped down to the ground but as soon as she did Caine swept her feet and sent her tumbling onto her ass. This time he smiled.

Jupiter scrambled to her feet, "okay," She charged him but he dodged her easily. She sent her right heel backwards collapsing the back of his left knee as she spun around connecting her right fist with Caine's jaw. He had to shake the cobwebs out after that one. She was definitely getting stronger. Of course he wasn't going to hit her back but before she could lift a knee to connect with his jaw once more he grabbed her arm and spun her around trapping the limb behind her and in front of him. Jupiter struggled testing his grip. He held her firm. So she did what she had been taught. She bowed her head forward then drove it back into Caine's face, hoping to catch the bridge of his nose. Not hard enough to break it but enough to cause him to loosen his grip giving her a chance to hand spring using his own shoulder, over his head to land behind him now and kick him in the back but he anticipated the final kick, he caught her ankle dragging her to him on her back and pinning her arms down either side of her head.

"You lose." He looked down at her, hair disheveled, panting, flush.

"Do I?" She said drawing her knees up high enough to lock her ankles across the middle of Caine's back and using the leverage to pull him to her mouth.

Caine let some more of his body weight sink into Jupiter as his tongue found hers and he kissed her deep and slow. When they came up for air he was panting too, his forehead rested against hers. The setting sun giving them the last of its warmth. Caine nuzzled her neck and then her shoulder, then continued up the right arm he had pinned. He took her hand in his. There was a small slit in the meat of the palm of her hand. He eyed Jupiter accusingly but she just smiled back devilishly. She'd cut herself on purpose to stir his blood lust so it heightened his hunting instincts.

"Always playing dirty," He moved her arms so that he now pinned both her wrists together above her head with one hand. He leaned down to her ear and whispered, "seems someone needs to be taught a lesson."

Jupiter's eyes opened wide when Caine reached down to his thigh holster for a hunting knife. He pressed a button on the handle and a cord release sprung from it. He staked the knifes blade into the ground just above Jupiter's wrists then drew the cord out to tie her wrists to the knifes handle. Caine wrapped the cord several times, enough to be secure. When he let go of Jupiter's wrists she couldn't move from the spot. She was staked to the ground on her back like a camp side tent her pulse sped up at the thought of what was to follow. She bit down on her bottom lip and squeezed her thighs together to try and ease the ache. Her eyes didn't come off Caine though and he noticed as he sat straddling her legs and taking off his jacket. He then spread a blanket out and proceeded to tug it up under Jupiter's body so she wasn't lying directly on the cold ground. He couldn't quite read her eyes.

"What? What are you thinking?"

Jupiter smiled, "I'm thinking about what's coming next solider."

Caine's eyes smiled as his mouth lowered to her ear in a growl, "You're cumming next." And before she could even speak again Caine's fingers were inside her.

"Fuck!" She profanity leaped out of her. She didn't even realise he'd undone her pants at any point but he had and now he was playing her like an instrument made for him alone. His other hand tugged her shirt up to reveal her bra. He reached under her to unclasp the bra so he could move it up and out of the way enough to free her breasts begging for Caine to devour them. He started with the left one causing Jupiter to gasp as he moved between teeth and tongue. His other hand meanwhile had inserted two fingers deep into Jupiter's slick folds while his thumb rubbed her sensitive bud.

Jupiter's cries intensified, her hips bucking off the ground trying to match Caine's rhythm. "Don't stop!" She panted, her hands wringing themselves into knots above her head. She wanted to touch him. she wanted to rip the knife from the ground, throw Caine onto his back and fuck his brains out. Caine noticed the spike in her adrenalin, the surge in her heart rate, he knew she was in a haze of lust, he could scent the change in her and it massaged his Alpha ego to no end knowing that only he could get her into such a frenzy and they'd barely started.

"Caine...please..." Jupiter whined as he attacked her right breast taking her nipple into his mouth until it was painfully erect then closing his teeth around it while pinching her clit. This caused her to make his favorite sound. It was something between pleasure and pain, a whimper of submission. That's the sound he wanted. She was close, so close so he pulled he hand out of her and his mouth from her chest much to her protest.

Caine bought his hand out of her pants and put his two fingers in his mouth, licking her essence from them as if he were savoring her. Jupiter found it intensely erotic when he did this and he always did so without breaking eye contact with her. He wanted her to know that he was in love with, obsessed with, craved every inch of her and then he leaned down to kiss her so she could taste herself on his lips.

He kissed down her chin, her chest and her stomach, taking a moment to sit up and tug her jeans off and then her soaked underwear. "Open" Caine demanded, quietly, calmly.

Jupiter raised her knees so her feet were flat on the ground and spread them apart. Caine's eyes lowered to her swollen lips. He begun to take his shirt off. "Wider." His voice was that low growl again and he never took his eyes off her wet folds as he tossed his shirt aside and began loosening his belt.

Jupiter could feel the cool breeze hitting the moisture between her legs and squeezed her knees together once again to try and rub away the ache. Caine shook his head, "Open!"

Jupiter did as she was told and widened her knees again, laying there captured, exposed. Caine lowered himself over Jupiter rubbing his face over her breasts and this time she could feel the head of him rubbing up and down against her slit. She tried to inch her hips down to take him inside her but Caine kept his distance only allowing the tip of him any access to her. When Jupiter whined again Caine pushed the head of his now almost painfully hard cock inside her. Just the head with short shallow pumps.

"Please Caine...more..." Jupiter was writhing on the ground beneath him and it was taking all Caine's concentration not to lose control. He pushed deeper into her, slowly until he was fully sheathed. Jupiter's hips were thrusting up at him. Caine was propped up on his elbows and pushed deeper. Jupiter groaned. "yes..."

Caine smiled, then began to pull almost all the way out and slide back up to the hilt. Jupiter whimpered. Caine withdrew from her again and slid back home this time that little bit harder.

"More...faster" Jupiter begged. And Caine thrust into her faster.

"Harder...deeper..." And he did, harder, deeper, faster. Caine pulled his knees up into a shallow frog squat so he could get more leverage and thrust in and out, in and out again and again. He angled his body so his length stroked her upper wall on each stroke and bumped that sensitive spot inside. Jupiter's thighs clamped around him and held him captive inside her.

"Don't stop!"

Caine couldn't even if he wanted to. He was getting close too but he had to see her over first. She was his Queen after all. "Jupiter..." it was barely her name, more a carnal sound in the back of his throat as pleasure spilled over. She was so tight, so hot, so wet. Every time he pulled out it was like she had a grip on him and when he slammed back inside her, causing her breasts with their swollen peaks to bounce it bought him closer to the edge. Caine moved up slightly clamping both his hands around Jupiter's bound wrists, forcing them into the ground while he ground himself into her, grazing her clit on every up thrust. The pressure was building in Jupiter's stomach, a ball of tension building bigger and bigger.

"Oh fuck...Caine!..."

She was so close, he pumped harder, sure he must be hurting her but she never cried in pain. "More.." she begged, "yes...yes...yes...so good...right there... yes" and Caine kept at that angle again and again, harder, deeper and then her eyes flung open and her mouth let out such a cry, things in the near by grass fled to safety. She was undone whimpering, groaning like her body was possessed. The climax ripped through her and Caine didn't let up, he kept thrusting over and over and she kept cumming. Her hands gripped the handle of the knife that staked her to the ground and her body bucked but when Caine reached down and pinched her clitoris it sent her over the edge a second time. She gasped like someone drowning coming up for air. Her body froze and she just let Caine give her the climax. It was like her senses were overloaded. every muscle locked, everything but the ones that were pulsing and undulating inside her as the climax tore threw her body and then Caine could take no more. His thrusts got frantic, erratic and he spilled himself inside her tight velvet walls. And as Jupiter returned to her senses Caine was losing his. Her body milking him, massaging every last drop from him as her hips involuntarily pumped and pumped with lustful aftershocks.

"Holy shit!" Caine pulled the knife out from the ground and untied Jupiter's hands and collapsed on top of her trying not to crush her with his weight. He just couldn't move any more right that minute and Jupiter loved to feel the pressure of him on top of her. She could still feel him hard and pulsing inside of her. "You've made a slave outta me, you know that right?" Caine caressed her cheek and gently kissed her lips.

Jupiter smiled first, not sure if her mouth would work but when Caine went to move she tugged him back, "Not yet, I love the feel of you inside me."

Caine smiled and turned them both slightly on to their sides so his weight was no longer crushing Jupiter but with her leg hooked over his hip he could still be inside her and he was taking a while to get soft. That suited Jupiter just fine. She closed her eyes and just enjoyed being out under the stars with the man she loved perfectly melded with her.

"You wanna get some sleep?" Caine asked seeing Jupiter's eyelids lower slightly.

She nodded and yawned, "will you stay...here?" She thrust her hips gently where they were still joined.

Caine smiled softly, "as long as I can Your Majesty." and he reached for the other blanket to wrap around them.

In the morning Caine and Jupiter had the good grace to look sheepish and guilty when they ventured back into the house. They went straight up to the bathroom to shower. Walking passed Stinger's room he called out, "Dirty stop outs! Mind you, the racket you two were making last night, probably best you took to ruttin al fresco."

Jupiter whispered, "oh my god, they heard us?"

Caine lead her into the bathroom. "I think New York heard us."

Jupiter looked mortified. Caine just looked accomplished. "How are you not embarrassed?"

Caine shrugged. "I please you. Why would I be ashamed of that?"

"CAINE, JUPITER?" Stinger's voice. "You better come see this!"

Caine came down the stairs first followed by Jupiter and went into the living room where Kiza and Stinger were in front of the TV watching a burning building on a breaking news report.

"...Police have yet to confirm but with an explosion of this magnitude it is not expected that there will be any survivors. Rescue teams have already pulled 3 bodies from the wreckage. Neighbors say that they were awoken by a loud bang in the early hours of this morning but the source of the explosion is yet to be verified. Neighbors say the house belonged to a local family of 7, the Bolotnikovs are well known and liked. This truly is a tragedy for this quiet street. We'll bring you more news as it breaks..."

Jupiter's eyes were wide. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.

"Jupe?" Caine turned to her hearing her heart beating frantically in her chest. She shook her head and started pacing, her hands over her ears.

"No..no, " She ran over to her bag and dug out her cell phone. "No please..." She dialed but the phone just rang and rang on the other end. She tried another number. Same response. She tried her uncle, her cousin, her aunt. No answer. Then she froze.

"Jupiter?"

She couldn't hear him. The bees heard her though. They swarmed into the house and circled above her in a thick cloud of buzzing black and yellow. One by one tears filled her eyes and spilled over but it wasn't until Caine touched her that Jupiter collapsed to the ground. He went with her holding her close as she lifted her head to the heavens and cried out in anguish.


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for the kind reviews. I feel like I half know where this story is going but I also like the story to kinda find it's own path and I'm not above torturing my characters a little bit sorry. :) But everything will happen for a reason trust me.

Chapter 5

It took a long time for Jupiter to get to bed that night. She was in the guest room. Both Caine and Stinger insisted that she stay away from the crime scene just that little bit longer. The whole event looked suspicious and until they could rule out foul play they didn't want her anywhere near it. Stinger was in contact with the Aegis as a precaution but so far no positive confirmations as to any knowledge about the explosion. The police were reporting it as a possible gas leak.

No one had really slept that night, not really. They'd all been in and out of consciousness but nothing significant. Jupiter was in her sleepwear of shorts and a vest and sat by the window looking out over the fields, it was 2pm. Nothing stirred, everything was so peaceful and Idyllic there. Maybe it never happened. The thought crossed her mind. Like the moment she woke up to see Caine for the first time. She thought that was a dream too. Outside looked so peaceful. She splayed her hand on the window. The sun had warmed the pane. Kiza came upstairs with a mug of coffee.

"Jupiter, I've bought you something to drink."

Jupiter didn't hear the words. Everything was distant, a hum in the back of her mind. Nothing made sense, nothing made noise and nothing would make the tragedy go away and that's when she felt like the walls were closing in. Jupiter got up making no eye contact and walked straight past Kiza.

"Jupe? You ok?"

She didn't reply. She didn't hear her, she needed out of that house , it was like being in prison. Her heart, her head ached. Her eyes were sore from swatting at tears, her throat burned from crying. She needed air, clarity, oblivion. She padded down the stairs barefoot, past the kitchen. Caine heard her come down.

"Jupiter?"

She didn't hear him either, just kept on walking out the back door and on to the grass. Pressure built up behind her eyes again, clogged her chest and held it tight. Caine went to go after her but Stinger touched his shoulder. "Let her go brother. They'll let us know if she's in danger." nodding t the bees.

It went against everything in Caine's body to leave Jupiter to wonder alone outside but Stinger had seen this kind of grief before. Hell he'd felt something similar once upon a time. Jupiter needed to process.

"Just listen out for her."

Caine sat back down. "I don't know how to make this better and it's killing me." He was cleaning his gun.

"You cant make it better. All you can do is be there when she needs you. She might need a punch bag, she might need a pillow to cry on but she won't ask you so you've just got to be there."

"Dad, a new message just came through!" Kiza yelled from the work room. Caine and Stinger went to her. Caine kept one ear on Jupiter and one on Kiza.

"What is it?" Stinger started pressing buttons on the comms device.

Kiza's eyes were filled with something dark. "Balem."

Caine looked confused, "He died in the refinery collapse."

Kiza shook her head. Stinger was holding one can of a headphone set to his ear and the colour seemed to wash out of his face too.

"What?" Caine was getting concerned.

Stinger said nothing. Just pressed the loud speaker option on the device.

 _'I know you're listening Mr Apini so I trust you can pass on this message to our dear friends Mr Wise and Ms Jones._

 _When you leave someone for dead. It is advisable to confirm they are indeed so._

 _Ms Jones stole something from me and I want it back. I asked nicely and she refused. What is a man to do but get resourceful. I have waited long enough, hold up in the shadows waiting until the time was just right. We Abrasax live a long time Mr Wise and I can indeed be a patient man. I need you to understand that this is no longer about the Title. This has become infinitely personal. Ms Jones cost me my future and I, in turn will free her of hers. Her family was the start and I'll continue until she either abdicates or ceases to live. I'm hoping for both._

 _I have friends everywhere Mr Wise. You can not stop me. The Aegis can not stop me. Time is so quickly running out._

 _What ever will you do?...'_

Caine was silent. He lowered down on a near by stool. "He should be dead. How did he survive that implosion?"

"There's rumors going around Orous that a group of mercenaries, ex military were employed by Balem as part of an evacuation protocol if the planet ever came under attack. They got him out, stashed him on a nearby rock until he had time to regroup." Kiza said.

"And now he's back for Jupiter." Caine stood up again. "Fucking Entitled! Why couldn't he just stay dead. I swear when we find him, I'll kill him myself."

"Hey," Stinger stood up also. "Jupiter's..."

"Nothing like them! She's worth 20 of those ungrateful, spoilt bastards!"

A cell phone buzzing caught them all by surprise. It was Jupiter's phone. It was an unknown number. They let it ring long enough to go to voice-mail before Caine picked up the phone and played the message. He held his breath waiting to hear Balem's wheezing voice again, but right that moment, what he heard was worse.

 _'This is Sargent Williams calling for a Ms Jupiter Jones. There has been an incident and I need to speak with you urgently. Please call me back when you get this message.'_

"Shit!" Caine hung up the phone.

"What now?" Stinger came closer.

"The cops. They want to talk to Jupiter. They were pretty vague but I'm guessing as next of kin they're gonna want to either make sure she wasn't behind the explosion"

"But they're saying it was a gas leak" Kiza stepped in.

"Then they'll want to ID the bodies. I can't let her do that. Balem will be waiting for us to put our heads above ground. The sick bastard is trying to smoke us out."

"Are you gonna tell her?" Stinger asked quietly.

Caine thought a moment and exhaled. "I don't know." He turned to the door, "I need to go check on her." As he stepped off the porch he turned back around. "You guys better ready the fire power. Just in case." and he stepped out into the fields.

He listened a while, his head tilting this way and that but she wasn't in the distance. She was closer. He circled the house and made his way out back to the shed. Her scent was feint but it was there.

"Jupiter?" No reply. He listened again, then heard rustling of what sounded like metal, maybe tools? He slowly got closer. "Jupe?" and then the smell was there again. Blood, sharp and pungent as it was the night before but this was no small nick, this was something else, something more. It was then he noticed the bees buzzing in unison over to his right.

"JUPITER!" Caine bound across the grass and through the wall of bees to yank open the side door to the shed. He looked about in the hazy dim light but followed his nose instead, his eyes taking too long to adjust. He rounded a table stacked with iron girders to find Jupiter crouched down. Her face tear stained but her eyes focused as she used what looked like a piece of broken glass to carve at the Title mark on her forearm. She was scoring a path around it slowly, painfully, hacking at the flesh, the glass not quite sharp enough to make it neat.

"Gods! Jupe no!" Caine grabbed her hands to stop her. Blood was pouring down her arm, the stench filled the air and this time there was nothing erotic about it. Caine felt helpless. There were no Legion protocols to prepare him for something like this so he dealt with what he knew how. The wound. Caine scooped Jupiter up in his arms and lead her back to the house laying her down on the couch.

"What happened?" Stinger's hand went to the rifle at his side. "Were you attacked?"

Caine shook his head, "She did this to herself."

"Why?"

"I don't know." Caine eased Jupiter down on the couch keeping her arm elevated. "Kiza bring the med kit"

Kiza was off like a rocket and back in seconds. "Here let me," She moved in front of Caine and he let her. Kiza had patched up both he and Stinger on multiple occasions. She was good at it.

"What did she use? It wasn't a knife it's too ugly for that."

"Looked like broken glass," Caine grimaced.

"Christ. It's gonna be infected I can't close it up til I clean it out." Kiza reached into the med kit for a small spray can. "Caine hold her arm up." She looked at Jupiter. "Sorry Jupe this is gonna hurt." She looked back at Caine and Caine nodded he was ready. Kiza sprayed a thin mist slowly starting at the top of the wound and criss crossing over it. Jupiter cried out trying to snatch her arm back but Caine held it firm.

"Sorry Jupe," Kiza said again, "It needs to sink in before I close you up."

Jupiter felt like her arm was on fire. But at least she was feeling something and after the initial burn she settled back down. Kiza then took another can out of the med kit and sprayed over the wound. This time it sealed up almost instantly. "It's gonna be tender for a while but should be fine in about 24 hours. She's lost a lot of blood though so best to get some fluids in her."

"Thanks kid"

Kiza smiled. "Don't mention it. One thing though. Keep an eye on her grip. I couldn't tell if she did any tendon or nerve damage. The hypo spray should have fixed anything minor. If she's having trouble grasping or holding things we might have to open her open again to have a look."

"Got ya," Caine nodded. He turned back to Jupiter who was just lying there staring down at her arm. The blue glowing title mark was still there staring back at her. Caine stayed knelt by her side, his head buried in her lap not knowing how to fix any of this. "Damnit Jupiter, what were you doing?" he murmured into her shirt.

"I wanted it gone." her voice was weak.

Caine looked up in surprise, he didn't expect a reply.

"Why?"

Jupiter looked down at him this time. "I heard you. I heard Balem. All of this, is because of this!" She raised her arm. "I didn't want this stupid fucking planet. I just wanted to be normal and live my life. Now my family are dead all because of this. And he won't stop coming, he will kill all of you to make a point. If the title is gone he can have his planet back!" Tears were running down her cheeks again and Caine got up to sit beside her on the couch, pulling her head to his chest, his arms wrapped round her.

"Jupe, it's not that simple. Unless you abdicate there is no giving it back. And to abdicate you would need to confront Balem and he'd kill you on sight. This is what he wants, to draw you out."

Jupiter pulled away from Caine enough to look up at him but before she could utter a word his said, "It's too dangerous. It's bad enough we're staying here. We'll leave in the morning, I just need to figure out where we go from here, how this ends."

Jupiter wiped away her tears and took a deep breath, pain starting to slowly be buffered by something else. Anger. Caine let her lie back down on the couch. "You need to rest just a while. Kiza is just in the other room and Stinger and I will be in the work room ok?"

She nodded.

She tried to sleep she really did and for a few moments she thought she did but the images were dark and scary, burned faces of her loved ones, charred corpses crying out in the ruins of her old home. And all the while helplessness making her angrier and angrier. What good would helplessness do? She tossed and she turned until her eyes fluttered open. She got off the couch and marched to the work room. Both Caine and Stinger looked up from the weapons closet puzzled.

"Jupe?" Stinger called out. But she ignored him. Instead she marched over to Caine, pulled his gone from his thigh holster and pointed it him. Caine's hands automatically went palm up in front of him.

"What are you doing?" he asked calmly.

"This was your fight, now it it's mine. Now you teach me how to fight. The whole lot, guns, shield, knife..." Her eyes were dark, her mouth set firm and hard.

Caine edge closer slowly but when he did Jupiter moved the gun to her temple. Caine stopped dead in his tracks. "Please don't!"

"I told you. This is my fight Caine. I'm as good as dead anyway. So just...teach me. ...please?" She looked so lost.

Caine stepped forward slowly. Jupiter held the gun firm. Caine looked in her eyes to communicate something words were just not needed for. He reached out so slowly to gently place his hand on hers wrapped around the gun. "Jupiter, this is OUR fight." She let him slowly lower the gun. To her side but he didn't take it from her. Just looked at his ferocious Queen stood before him.

"I'll teach you."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

It had been nearly 2 months since Jupiter lost her family in the explosion that Balem claimed responsibility for. It had devastated her. Caine had been unsure how to support her in her grief but he was continuing to do the best he could with the odd bit of advice from Stinger and Kiza. Just do what feels right, they said. Caine wasn't sure what that meant but he'd always keep trying.

Jupiter had been completely focused on her training. She ate, slept and breathed it. She was working out harder than ever before. Caine noticed the change in her body as well as her attitude. Both had got harder. It seemed like that vulnerability she had that he fell in love with, the softness to his edge had been filed to a point. She was driven, fierce. They barely touched each other at night. She was exhausted most of the time. She'd go to bed late after training all day and night and then get up early to start all over again. Training was the only thing keeping her sane. Caine kinda understood that and since he had no better alternative to offer her, he opted to at least make sure she was doing it right. For the first time in a long time Jupiter was waking up with cuts and bruises that Caine didn't give her.

Jupiter was right now crouched down behind an empty metal canister inside an abandoned warehouse that used to be a part of a ship building yard. There were boxes, tools, chains, everywhere. Boat parts were dotted around, rusted and rotting. Rats scurried about in the shadows. It was dark in there. The huge wooden doors creaked in the wind letting in the smell of the sea.

Jupiter held a gun in both hands up to her chest ready to go. She closed her eyes to listen. Her heart was pounding in her chest but her eyes were set and focused. This she could settle into, this made her feel like shit mattered. She had a job to do, she had people to avenge.

She poked her head out around the edge of the canister she was hiding behind and a bullet flew past her cheek nicking her.

"Shit!" She rolled out from behind the canister shooting back. She clambered up several crates and another bullet skimmed past her, a flurry to follow. She engaged her gravity boots and flipped down from the crates and zipped across the warehouse.

A flash of light saw Caine barrel into her taking her off her trajectory and crashing her into a rotting wooden table. It knocked the wind out of her but Caine didn't give her time to get her head together. He was aiming at her again, point blank but as he pulled the trigger she engaged her shield and the bullet bounced back while she drove forward into Caine's chest crashing the both of them through a plaster wall. This time Caine needed to shake the cobwebs out but Jupiter didn't give him time. She sent a right fist across his jaw but that helped Caine snap back to reality. He spun whipping an arm into her stomach driving her back through what was left of the partition wall but she engaged her gravity boots as she fell and took off into the rafters while a hail of Caine's bullets lit her path. She drove down at speed with her shield up and her boots in Caine's direction, the heat causing him to give up with the gun and put his shield up too and that's when she gave a kick to the back of his knee driving Caine to the ground as she disengaged the shield and aimed her gun at him.

Caine anticipated her going for the kill and a spinning heel kick sent the gun flying out of her hand but as Caine pulled his gun on Jupiter she had her knife drawn and sliced across Caine's wrist causing him to drop his gun. Caine powered into Jupiter with a growl and sent them both into a tumble across the warehouse floor into a corner filled with rusting boat wheels. Jupiter hit her head on one making her vision blurry giving Caine time to grab her by the throat with his other fist holding a knife to her neck but at that exact point he felt heat on his shoulder. Jupiter had hooked a leg around the arm at her throat to put the sole of her gravity boots at Caine's face. The heat alone would burn him terribly if not kill him.

Caine glanced at the boot, smelling the heat coiling up, then back down at Jupiter with an eye brow raised. She nodded her head and he let her go helping her up.

"You're getting reckless." he said hoisting her to her feet.

"I'd say resourceful." She responded reaching around the back of her head and coming back with blood on her fingertips, still out of breath.

Caine took a small can from his utility belt and lifted Jupiter's hair to spray heal her. "You're meant to be aiming to kill them not yourself too."

Jupiter took the can from him without asking and sprayed the gash she'd made into his wrist. "Balem is gonna pay. By any means necessary."

"No!" Caine gripped her hand shaking his head. "I agreed to train you so you could have your day with Balem when the time comes. I'm not training you to be a martyr."

Jupiter looked down at where Caine had grabbed her and realised that she instantly had her hand on her other gun. He noticed too but said nothing. "I'll...try harder next time." She took a sip from a water bottle. "Ready to go again?"

Caine shook his head lowering to the ground from mid hover. "We're done for the night. You push yourself too hard. That's how mistakes get made."

Jupiter scoffed, "You're Legion. All you know is the fight!"

"Not since I met you!" He bit back.

"Fine, whatever, we can go back to your place. I'll hit the bags."

Caine sighed. This was the best form of a compromise he was going to get tonight. Jupiter went to grab her bag when her phone beeped. It was a calendar reminder.

Next Morning.

Her families remains had been released a week ago. Jupiter had made all the arrangements she could over the phone. There wasn't much to bury so they were having a memorial service at the local church. Jupiter was close to the priest there and tried to explain to him why she couldn't attend in person. She left out a few details here and there of course. It was stuff he didn't need to know.

"You sure you want to do this?" Caine asked one final time already knowing the answer.

"I have to at least say goodbye." Jupiter pulled on a pair of black wedge heels to match her black and navy skirt suit. She'd pulled her hair up into a bun.

Caine wore his usual attire of black tactical gear. "You know they could be waiting."

"I know." Jupiter responded coldly while stashing as many weapons about her person as she could conceal. She had a gun in her purse and another in a holster across her back under the suit jacket. She had a knife holstered to each thigh under her skirt. She had her shield glove on too. Lately she didn't feel dressed unless she was armed. She wondered if that was how Caine felt every day of his life as she watched him pull his long leather coat on.

They got to the church to catch the end of the service. They'd stayed hidden at the back. The turn out wasn't huge, just a few friends and extended family Jupiter had never met but it was simple and elegant with large pictures of each of her family members up by the podium. That's what hit her first. Seeing their faces as if they were just on holiday. All smiles. Not permanently gone in a most horrible way.

Caine and Jupiter waited until midnight to go back to the cemetery. The ground was freshly dug and her family were in plots next to each other with temporary markers made from wooden crosses. Jupiter held a rosary in one hand and slid it through her fingers, not so much praying, but more for the comfort of the routine. It was all becoming so real, so final. Caine didn't want them to linger. Anyone could be watching or listening but he had no heart to urge Jupiter to hurry up, not in the frame of mind she'd been in all day. He just stood back like he did the day he'd taken her to get her title, more security liaison than boyfriend.

It was dark, the moon fat and high in the sky and Jupiter had been staring down at the freshly laid crosses for nearly 40mins. Her mind started out blank, her heart a clenched fist in her chest. She couldn't fight or shoot this away. It was one enemy she couldn't out run, she couldn't reason with and it wanted to consume her. Her eyes set on the grave of her youngest cousin, he was only a child. The burning sensation came to the back of her eyes and her throat grew thick with sorrow. He was just a boy, he would have been so scared. She lay down the rosary on his grave then proceeded to lay a kiss on each of the wooden crosses.

"This is all my fault. I'm sorry," she whispered trying to keep her control.

She turned away to find Caine standing over by a huge oak tree in silence, his eyes on the ground but no doubt his ears on high alert. Jupiter shook her head as the tears began to flow. She hand't cried in weeks. This was no time for weakness. She'd spent the last 2 months getting tougher, harder and now here she stood disarmed by clumps of wood in dirt and nothing she said or felt was going to fix this. No one was coming back. Everything was different. Caine her only constant, stood century by her side, being her punch bag, her trainer, her confidant and she'd shut him out. She was his pack and she'd closed the door on their connection, sacrificing love for hate, pleasure for pain and recovery for vengeance. His presence didn't make her weak, his presence made her strong. Why couldn't she see that before. The pain bubbled up, she'd been so numb and now all she wanted to do was feel.

Jupiter marched over to Caine, grabbed his face in her hands and kissed him. She kissed him hard taking him by surprise. His hands came up to her shoulders and stilled her a moment.

"Woah..woah, slow down. You ok?"

Jupiter stopped, out of breath and looking surprised herself. Surprise quickly turned to shame. "I...I'm sorry" She wiped her eyes. "...Tears ain't sexy..." She turned from Caine, "Lets go home."

Jupiter went to walk away but Caine grabbed her hand dragging her to him and kissed her back. He remembered stinger saying he just needed to be there and if this was being there then this is what he would give her. She'd been so closed for so long the last thing he wanted to do was watch her retreat back into herself because he rejected her. Yes the setting was maybe not ideal and the timing a little off but pain didn't make sense.

Their kissing was frenzied. Jupiter's hands moved down to Caine's pants and fought with his belt to unclasp it. Caine whipped them around so Jupiter's back was against the tree trunk. Jupiter left Caine's belt to hoist her skirt up around her waist. Caine ripped the side of her underwear and pealed it off before undoing his zipper and freeing himself. He lifted Jupiter up and she wrapped her legs around his waist while guiding him into her.

Caine drove into her over and over, his mouth on her neck, her head flung back, her eyes to the stars. He placed one hand under her ass to get more leverage. He could taste the saltiness of the tears that had streamed down her face and pooled around her neck and before long she was clenching around him spilling them both over the edge.

Caine let Jupiter lower to the ground. She tugged her skirt down not really knowing what to say. Caine did up his zipper and fastened his belt. He cupped Jupiter's cheek brushing away a stray tear. He kissed her forehead "Let's go home."


	7. Chapter 7

Ok I own none of JA the movie or all that good stuff so don't come a'suing!

This is a short update. I'm back at work so less time to do them but i felt like this bridge needed to happen to get me to the next part of the story. It'll be worth it I promise, well i hope. Ya'll can be the judge of that. :) and I did warn that I'm a bit of a sadist i think i get the best out of my characters when they're in pain but i promise to have some balance.

Chapter 7

The next morning Jupiter woke up in Caine's arms for the first time in a long time. She didn't realise how much she missed the feel of being close to him like that. She cursed herself for shutting it off, shutting him out.

"I'm sorry" she whispered turning over to brush a thumb over his temple.

Caine's eyes opened slowly. He was probably awake before she was. "No, I'm sorry." he whispered back. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop it. I'm sorry I couldn't make it better." He took her hand in his. "And I'm sorry your sovereignty has bought you so much pain. If I'd known..."

"You couldn't have, "

"But if I had..."

Jupiter pulled his hand to her lips and brushed a light kiss over his knuckles. "If you'd have known, it wouldn't have changed anything. Don't torture yourself."

Jupiter rolled on to her back, Caine rolled on to his stomach, both hands under his pillow facing her. "I think maybe you were right though."

"About what?"

Jupiter turned her head to look at him, both her hands splayed on her stomach. "Maybe now's not the best time to think about starting a family."

Caine didn't see that coming. They hadn't talked about it in weeks. "Oh,...well yea. It's getting a little too dangerous for all of us right now."

"So we'll go back to being careful?" She raised an eyebrow and a half smile.

"Sure."

Jupiter went back to staring at the ceiling. Caine knew something was wrong when she was this quiet. He reached a hand out and gave her a jab in the shoulder.

"Hey!"

"I don't like you quiet. What're you thinking?" he quizzed.

She shook her head, "nothing"

Caine became more insistent. "Your Majesty?"

Jupiter exhaled and turned back on to her side to face him. "Well...you're always talking about how different we are. From each other."

Caine didn't like where she was going with this. "and?"

"And after everything that's happened and thinking about the future I just think it wouldn't be such a bad idea for me to maybe get spliced too?"

"No!" Caine sat up shaking his head. "No way. Besides that fact that splicing happens in vitro so it's impossible for you now. Why in the hell would you want to be? None of us asked to be the way we are. There was no choice, no consultation and no damn manual. If we could, if I could, I'd choose to be normal in a second."

"Bullshit Caine!" Jupiter sat up now pulling one of Caine's shirts over her head. She padded over to the kitchenette to make coffee. "You would choose being human, being weak, vulnerable, dulled in almost all of your senses. This useless meat sack" she gestured to herself, "over being what you are all so you could fit in?"

"You have no idea."

"No Caine, you have no idea. We're prey, we're cattle! You're the hunter, the tracker, the warrior and you worship US?." she shook her head again. "You've got everything ass backwards."

Caine sighed. "I'm gonna take a shower." they'd only just started speaking again and now it seems maybe the silence wasn't so bad. How could she want to be a splice? They were mistakes, surely she could see that?

Jupiter hated that Caine still loathed so much of himself. When he got his wings back she thought maybe he'd come to terms with who and what he was but still he fought against himself and for the first time she wasn't sure it was a battle she could help him win. When he was out of air shot Jupiter took her cell phone and went out onto the terrace. She dialed a familiar number.

"Jupe?" It was Kiza's voice on the other end.

"Hey. He didn't go for it."

"I told you he wouldn't be a fan."

"I didn't even get past the splice part."

"I told you not to lead with that. You should have just told him you're looking at getting implants."

"You make it sound like a boob job"

"Fine, modifications."

"It would help me get stronger, for when the time comes."

"Then I guess wait until he calms down and come at it from a different angle? Caine's hard headed but he sees sense eventually."

Jupiter's phone buzzed in her ear. "Kiz, I got another call. I'll talk to you later ok?" She hung up on Kiza and picked up the other call. "Hello?"

"Hello Mother."

Jupiter nearly dropped the phone. "You killed my family you son of a bitch!"

Balem's raspy voice slithered down the line, "Now, now, that's no way to talk about yourself. I'm your son after all."

"You are NOT my son!"

"We don't have time for this. I need you to listen carefully. More lives will depend on it"

Jupiter remained silent.

"You are a quick study. It was unfortunate the way things turned out I think we can both agree."

"Unfortunate?" Jupiter's blood was boiling. "You killed my FUCKING FAMILY!"

"WHORE, YOU STOLE MY INHERITANCE!" Balem sighed, collecting himself. "Aren't we both such beautifully broken records. Here is what you are going to do for me."

"I won't do anything for you!" Jupiter spoke through gritted teeth.

Balem was smiling she could hear it in his voice. "Oh I think you will. I think you'll come to the co-ordinates I'm sending you now. You'll meet a transport there who will take you off world and to my ship. You'll abdicate your title and then you'll graciously step out of the air lock, mid space, into welcome oblivion to join your beloved if not utterly crass family."

Jupiter swallowed, this didn't sound like it was a negotiation but she had to know. "And if I don't?"

"Well Mother you're entirely within your right to refuse my offer. If you do not meet me at the allotted time, at the chosen destination I will kill the remainder of your rag tag family starting with My Apini, of course not after I take young, nubile, Miss Apini and sell her off to a very nasty skin trader. I'll let Mr Apini watch her be...initiated...violated? The two really are one and the same and she will receive the same, over and over and over again. Then I'll take your Caine and I will dissect him. I'll de-claw him and de-fang him and will tear out those pretty little wings of his and that's just the warm up. I've lived a very long time My Queen, I've learned a lot about how to inflict pain and how to make it last and i'll make you watch as he begs for death knowing that he couldn't save you in life or in death.

So Queen Jupiter, will you join me or will more have to perish?"

Jupiter couldn't breathe. This couldn't be happening. She shut her eyes tight trying to choke down the tightening in her throat and the burning in her chest. She couldn't let Stinger or Kiza or Caine die, not because she was weak. This was war and in war a few lives saved thousands all over the damn planet. Caine may never forgive her but he would have to learn to live with it. She kept her eyes closed and exhaled.

"I'll come."

"Oh splendid. I do hope that it goes without saying that if you alert anyone to our plans, there will be dire consequences."

The phone went dead for a moment before it buzzed a text message. The coordinates that Balem was referring to and the time of the meet. It was at midnight. She had about 9 hours with Caine before then. She tried to steady her heart from racing and climbed back into bed.

Caine not long came out of the shower, a towel round his waist, still damp. Jupiter beckoned him over.

"You ok?"

She shook her head. "I don't wanna fight. Can you just come lie with me a while...please?"

And just like that the tension between them was gone. Caine didn't query or question. Just climbed into bed beside her and pulled her close letting her cling on to his strength instead of her own for once but not knowing that really it was going take all the strength she had to leave him tonight, knowing she'd never see him again and that's when the tears came.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

Jupiter woke once again in Caine's arms. It was dark outside. They'd spent the entire day in bed. She'd insisted on it and Caine obliged her. They'd eaten and drank and laughed, they'd watched movies and listened to music and talked about things they'd never talked about before. Jupiter told Caine about how she was born premature and at sea after the traumatic death of her father. She told him how she was originally selling her eggs to pay for a telescope that reminded her of her father, a way to feel closer to him, so she could gaze into the stars and not feel alone, but connected to something bigger, deeper, a future that was limitless. She told him how her mothers dreams and hopes died with her father that night of the robbery, how she had no greater love and how she envied her mother in having even had the chance to love like that, if only briefly. She told him how her aunt said she was born under Jupiter ascending and that it meant she was supposed to achieve great things and have a great love all of her own and that she never believed a word of it all of the years she had her hand down rich people's toilets, not until she met him.

Caine told her about the dreams he has from time to time of horrific procedures during his genomengineering, that it was something all splices lived with but never really talked about. He told her of the emptiness that all Lycantants endure as they mature and crave the completeness of a pack, how he watched countless comrades die or go crazy and how he found a way to survive the call of the void, to keep his beast caged and present a facade of control. He told her how without the hunt he would have gone crazy himself and about the darkness that came upon him when he attacked an entitled once. He told her of his guilt and the pain of not only having his own wings taken but watching Stinger suffer for him too and that being so much worse. He told her that he'd never known the love of a parent and that he wasn't sure he could offer it if he'd never known it and that alone broke Jupiter's heart.

They shared joy and pain and between it they tried to heal each other. They made love over and over and when they were too exhausted to do even that, they lay together just being close, fingertips brushing, heartbeats merging. A perfect time in an imperfect world where nothing mattered, nothing bad happened, they could just, be.

But the time for hopes and dreamscapes was over.

Jupiter rolled out from under Caine's slumbering form. He was sound asleep, she wasn't sure she'd ever seen him this much at peace. She set her feet down on the floor and took a deep breath glancing at her cell phone. She closed her eyes just for a moment, hoping against all hopes that maybe just maybe this was all a dream. When she opened her eyes she was still sat on the edge of a bed containing the sleeping form of the only man she would ever love like she loved him. She leaned over and kissed his cheek, "I love the hell outta you Caine Wise", she whispered into his ear. A smile curled his lips but he was still half asleep.

Jupiter pulled one of his shirts over her head and padded over to the kitchenette area. She took a pen and pad that lay there and started writing. She'd screwed up several pieces of paper trying to think of what she really wanted to tell Caine. Nothing was right. She told him she loved him all the time, he knew this. But it just didn't feel enough...

She flipped over to a fresh piece of paper because it came to her, just like that. She jotted it down quickly and kissed the page.

Jupiter padded off to the bathroom. She turned on the shower and the sink. She went over to the huge bathtub and reached behind it to pull out a large sports bag. Sitting on the edge of the toilet she got dressed. Jeans, gravity boots, black vest. She pulled her hair into a tight bun before pulling on all her weaponry. She knew Balem would probably have her searched on arrival but she could at least say she tried to fight back. No doubt if he said he was going to kill her after the abdication then that is what he was going to do, but she would be damned if she was going quietly. If the universe was destined to swallow her, she was gonna make sure it choked on her!

She strapped everything secure, guns, knives, shields, boots and then pulled her leather jacket on.

She walked over to the window and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her heart sank. This was going to hurt him. So bad. It might destroy him but what more could she do? She was being selfish. It would kill her if Balem got to touch either Kiza or Stinger or Caine. Surely the math is in her favour, 1 life for 3? She couldn't keep thinking, she was turning her brain in knots. She went over to the mirror and with her finger she wrote 'sorry' in the steam and then she climbed out of the window.

She didn't have long. If Caine awoke any time soon he would have her scent in an instant. It was why she wore the gravity boots to move faster, get where she needed to be as quickly as possible. She pumped her arms and shoved the boots through the air the way Caine and taught her. She hated Balem, she hated the entire Abrasax fucking family! Anger built inside her with every passing second. Their reign of terror over her would end soon enough, one way or another.

Caine stirred in bed. Jupiter's scent was all around him, filling his nostrils, coating his skin. She was going to be sore in the morning and the thought bought a smile to his face. His Queen, his Jupiter. He reached a hand out to the spot beside him in the bed where she should have been but found it empty and frowned. The shower was going. He couldn't blame her. In the movies people act like sex is this wonderfully romantic and erotic thing which it is but they always leave out the aftermath that it can leave behind, and some times after a heavy session...several heavy sessions there is a need to wash things off.

He yawned and stretched getting up and nursing a bite mark on his neck. "Think you got the right idea Jupe." He pulled the sheet from the bed. "Might have to put this in there with you, " he called over to the bathroom to no reply. She's probably singing, he thought to himself. She loved singing in the shower. She couldn't hold a note but if it made her happy, he'd let his wolf hearing suffer every once in a while.

Caine balled the sheet up by the side of the bed and pulled on a pair of boxer briefs. He padded over to the kitchen taking a bottle of water from the refrigerator. His eye glanced the clock first, it was half past midnight. How long had they been in bed?

He set the bottle down on the counter beside the note pad. "Hmm?" Jupiter had scrawled something on it but he wasn't sure he knew what it meant. There were several screwed up pieces of paper around it but the note pad itself read one simple sentence.

 _'You are my telescope. xxx'_

"What the hell does that mean?" Caine muttered still groggy from sleep. "JUPE?" He walked over to the bathroom. Steam was spilling out from under the door. "Your Majesty is extra cryptic tonight," he smiled walking in but stopped when he saw no one in the shower. He turned the water off and looked around. It was empty. "JUPITER?" he called out into the corridor. No reply. The window was open. Why was the window open and then he saw the mirror.

 _'sorry'_

"Sorry?" He didn't understand. "JUPITER?" He ran back into the other room. Her clothes were gone, her phone was gone. He went back to the kitchenette and picked up that pad. You're my telescope. What does that mean? He unraveled the screwed up bunches of paper and each one said the same thing. I love you...forgive me. Then his mind cast back to story she told him about her father. "No...no.. Jupe what have you done?"

His mind was frantic. He pulled his pants and his boots on. He didn't even bother with a shirt as he ran out onto the terrace outside and took to the air all the while searching for her scent on the wind. It took a while but he found it, it was feint and distant but it was there. Caine flew as hard and fast as he could. She couldn't have got far. He pushed and pushed through the cold night air using updrafts to propel him further. Her scent dropped out from time to time but he always picked it back up. She must have been flying too or her scent would have been closer to the ground. He closed his eyes a while and let his nose and ears navigate but after about 20mins he saw it. A small ship hovering over a roof top carpark. And there she was. Jupiter, his Jupiter rising in a beam of light into the bowels of the craft.

"JUPITER!" Caine flew as fast as he could but he was just too late. Jupiter vanished inside and the hull sealed back up as the aircraft made its ascent. Caine tried to follow but when the air crafts guns turned on him he stopped in his tracks. In his haste he had no weapons on him, he was a sitting duck.

"NO!"

But they couldn't hear him. Caine watched the craft leave and there was nothing he could do to stop them.

"ARGHH!" his raged spilled out of control, he blamed himself, he got complacent, he got relaxed and now she was gone. He needed to think. No he needed someone else to help him think.

He needed Stinger and he took off in the night sky to the gardens.

It broke Jupiter's heart to see Caine down there in anguish but it was done now and it would spare him and Kiza and Stinger. They may never forgive her but they would have each other to grieve with and over time she hoped they might understand.

The inside of this ship was unfamiliar to her. It was nothing like an Aegis freighter or a warhammer. It was dark, rustic, minimal and she was frozen to the spot. Her feet wouldn't move and the beam of light she was still trapped in was like a solid wall to the touch.

"Who are you?" She called out to what looked like a man but when he turned she could see he was an android, a similar model to the liaison she had on Orous when she first got her title. This version however was darker, dirtier, beat up.

"Relax Your Grace, we will be at our destination soon enough."

Jupiter tried to take in something of her surroundings to help her but there was nothing of significance. "Where?"

The android smiled eerily. "Your Majesty will sleep now. We will portal in 4 tiks"

"No wait...I..." And then there was emptiness.

Caine set down roughly in Stingers yard and ran at the door. Stinger awoke to Caine's fists nearly taking the door off its hinges.

"What the hell has gotten into you lad, you run outta rubbers?!" He was half asleep and Kiza was coming down the stairs tying up her dressing gown yawning.

Caine marched into the house straight past Stinger and to the weapons room. "They got Jupe!"

Stinger tried to make sense of it as he shook off the fogginess of sleep. "Wait..what?"

Caine was taking out guns and laying them on the table. "Fucking Balem! I dunno how he did it. All this damn time I was worried about an attack. I kept her close, I was careful and all the time he was already in her damn head! He found a way, that sick fuck, to make her come to him!" Caine slammed his fist down on the table, it creaked under his power.

"Oh no...no.." Stinger sat down on a stool rubbing his brow. "Kiza check the comms. Caine how long has she been gone?"

Caine shook his head, "I came straight here. I saw the ship take her but I was too late, she was already in the hull. That was maybe 25mins ago?"

"Shit!" Stinger turned the light on at the back of the room and switched on two devices that looked like sound decks. "They'll have portal'd by now."

"I gotta find her Stinger. I have to..." Caine was growing frantic. Stinger had never ever seen him like it before.

"Look lad, we'll find her. I promise you but I can't, we can't do that if you're coming apart on me. I know you feel about her. We all love her but right now the best hope she has is Caine the hunter, Caine the tracker."

Caine was trying to calm himself, "But..I don't even know where to start..."

Stinger got up and put a hand on Caine's shoulder. He looked him in the eye, "That's your heart talking son, we need ya ears, ya nose, ya head. Caine, you are the best tracker I ever worked with. If any one can find her, you can. Just take a deep breath and focus."

Caine nodded. Stinger threw him a shirt to pull on. "You'll catch ya death." He turned back to his monitoring station. Kiza called out to them from the comms unit.

"Aegis reports a security breach within the last hour. Unauthorised earth landing and portal activity in the Nezra Quadrent."

"Nezra? That rock's been abandoned for centuries. It must be where Balem is hiding out." Cain said.

"There's something else,.." Kiza called out. "There was a riot 3 days ago on the penal colony outside of Axa State."

Caine turned to Kiza, "Axa State? That's where they're holding Titus."

Kiza grimaced, "Not anymore."

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

Jupiter awoke in a stasis chamber. She was suspended in mid air, floating. She felt like she'd been sleeping for hours but it wasn't comforting. It was an eerie dead sleep, more like a lapse in consciousness. There were no dreams, no thoughts, just nothingness like someone turned her light switch off then on again. She hated stasis. Her panic fought with logic as she tried to right herself, to get to her feet but couldn't manage it. It was like trying to find the floor in the ocean.

"My apologies Your Grace. We've arrived." The creepy android was back as if he was her own private butler. "Allow me."

He didn't physically do anything but his programming must have been interfaced with the ships software because he tilted his head and smiled and the gravity in the stasis beam holding Jupiter reconfigured itself gently lowering her to her feet.

As two stiletto heels clinked to the metal floor Jupiter took a moment to make sense of it. She glanced down at herself. She was wearing a floor length gown that looked very much like a fitted velvet and pearl coat. It was long sleeved, the neckline curving up at her nape, her hair pulled up in a swirled up do pulled tightly away from her face to showcase her big brown eyes. She had on lipstick she could feel it. The gown was varying shades of blue from crystal to deep and buttoned up from just below her crotch to the start of her cleavage. Flesh seemed to be the theme. Jupiter caught a glimpse of herself in one of the ships few reflective surfaces. She looked like the dress was a fountain and she was spilling forth from it.

"perverts," she muttered under her breath. "Where are my clothes?"

The android smiled and tipped his head. "Respectfully Your Grace, it would not do for you to be received by His Royal Highness's adorned in your primitive Tersei attire. Nor could I permit you be armed when doing so." The android walked over to a desk of buttons and levers and lights.

"Wait...Highness's?" she called out.

Before anyone could respond a hatch at the back of the ship opened up and 4 guards marched in.

"His Highness is expecting you." A woman, a splice, part human part something furry stepped out from the armed guard. "Please follow us Your Majesty."

Jupiter huffed. "You say that like I have a choice."

The splice smiled, "Oh but you do Your Majesty. We can bring you, or we can take you. Which would you prefer?" Her smile was thick and flawless but her eyes were cold and dark. Jupiter wanted to put a bullet through each one.

"Lead the way." She responded through gritted teeth.

Together they walked down what seemed like endless corridors in a palace far less grand than she'd seen the last time she was off world. This was no Orous, and it was no refinery it was more like a laboratory. Lots of glass and metal. Chambers and pods and weaponry. They turned a final corner and there he was sat on a modest throne, his ego anything but.

"Mother. I am so very pleased you could join us." His wheezing hiss of a voice made the hairs stand up on the back of Jupiter's neck.

"I'm not your damn Mother!" She spat.

Balem smiled. His face was heavily scarred on one side. "Semantics." He clapped his hands and another guard walked in brandishing a large sheave. Balem took it, tapped in some data and handed it back.

"Let's just get this over with!" Jupiter was growing agitated. If this was going to be the end she was way past dragging it out. "Take your stupid title and be done with me! I'm not playing this game anymore. She kicked off the high heels."

Balem smirked an irritated grin, "Oh but you will."

"I won't!"

"YOU WILL!" He cried before composing himself again. He took a deep breath. "You...exhaust me Miss Jones but abdication must be completed with you of sound body and mind. So you will be taken to the medical suite and you will be thoroughly checked over. Then we will complete the ceremony, your planet will be mine and the void will be yours for eternity."

Before she could protest Jupiter was flanked and ushered out of the room and to the medical suite by 2 of the guards. One made her lie down on the metal table in the middle of the room while the other stood guard by the door. "Don't move!" he said gruffly.

"Or else what?" Jupiter wondered

"Or else no lolipop Mother."

"TITUS!"

He smiled and tipped his head in a shallow bow. "Surprise!"

"You're supposed to be prison." Jupiter tried to get up but one of the guards was aiming his rifle at her. She lay back down.

"Yes isn't that a kick? You really should have let Mr Wise kill me when he had the chance. Now hold still please." Titus proceeded to undo the buttons on the front of Jupiter's gown. And slip the sleeves off her arms.

"Why are you doing this? If I abdicate the title goes to Balem not you." Jupiter now lay there in white panties and a white camisole.

"Lets just say that my brother and I have come to an arrangement that is mutually beneficial." Titus pulled a device from a rack on the ceiling down to hover over Jupiter, it was some kind of screen to take readings from her. "Now this is going to sting a little." Titus took a device and pierced Jupiter's upper arm with it.

"Ow!"

"I did say. We just need the right amount of tissue verification and your positive cerebral scan and we will be done here."

The reality of her situation was starting to dawn on Jupiter. "And Kalique, what does she get out of this?"

Titus turned to tap data into a monitor, his back to Jupiter. "Kalique will want for nothing now." Titus turned to the corner of the lab. "Will you dear Sister?"

Jupiter turned to the direction he was nodding and froze when she saw Kalique's head perfectly preserved in a jar.

"You killed her?!"

"She didn't see the bigger picture. It was her time."

"What bigger picture?"

Titus turned back to his monitor and sighed, "The one you also don't see."

Jupiter sat up, "You mean she didn't fucking agree with you!"

Titus turned to her in his chair and smiled shaking his head. "Such language Mother."

The guard was back at the table and shoved Jupiter back to lie down. She struggled against him, but it was futile, "How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not your god damn Mother!"

Titus stood up. "Oh well true, soon you won't be anymore." He stepped away from the monitor, "...but you definitely are hers..." Titus pressed a button and the monitor projected a grainy 3D image into the air. Jupiter's breath stopped in her throat, her eyes wide and unblinking.

"No...no...no..." she was uttering the words but no sound escaped her lips as her eyes took in the image of the tiny being, balled up and delicate, the tiny heartbeat fluttering in its chest like the beating of butterfly wings.

"No, this wasn't the deal." Jupiter placed a hand over her abdomen still mesmerised by the image in the air.

Titus laughed, "The deal hasn't changed Mother dearest. Earth will be mine by association so to speak and you and your bastard progeny will take a long walk off a short deck and I for one will personally deliver the news to Mr Wise when you're gone. His pain will be most exquisite."

"No."

"You keep saying that." Titus' smile began to falter.

"No."

"I think you're getting that word confused with something else Ms Jones." Irritation now.

"NO!" Jupiter swung an elbow out hard into the gut of the guard standing over her causing his gun to go off in Titus' direction. Titus ducked, the bullet hitting the monitor causing the image to disappear. The guard grabbed for Jupiter's shoulder but she bought both her legs up wrapped them around his neck and bought his head down hard onto the edge of the metal table. He grunted, blood pouring from his nose.

Titus scrambled to the comms unit near the now smoking monitor. "GET IN HERE!" He hailed out on the device.

Jupiter had jumped down behind the table and smashed the butt of the guards own gun into the back of his head. He was out cold if not dead. She turned the gun on Titus. For some reason his smile was returning.

"You stupid little girl. You will never make it out of here." Titus pressed a button near the doors causing them to seal shut. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Now what ever will you do?"

She kept the gun on him. She needed to think but he wouldn't stop talking.

"Did you think that seeing that meaningless life on the screen meant that you were more than this? More than us?" Titus got to his feet. "You thought killing you was the worst we could do? Oh no Mother now, I will personally make sure that they take you breathing and I will have them drag your battered body back here and I will cut that thing out of you and make you watch as I splice it and splice it into such a twisted and loathsome thing that...

"BANG!" Titus' body slammed into the wall and crumbled to the floor, half his face missing.

"You'll never touch us again!"

Jupiter could hear the sirens going off all over the ship. She hadn't thought any of this through. She was sealed in a medical suite on a strange ship in the middle of nowhere-verse with the corpse of Titus Abrasax. She didn't know how she was getting off the ship or even if she could but one thing that was clear. From the moment she saw that image, there was no way she was walking into the void. Not now.

"Damnit Jupe THINK!" She looked around the room. She only had the one gun and there was only one door in and out of the laboratory. Her best bet was finding an escape shuttle but she was going to have to fight her way there and the odds were not in her favour. The door would be too risky now. She could hear boots marching down the hallway. She looked all around the room again.

"Come on, what am I missing," She threw her head back, eyes closed tight and pleaded with whoever might listen. "Please!" She opened her eyes and there in the ceiling was a ventilation duct. She took the rifle and tucked it down the back of her vest before climbing on the metal table and knocking the grate out of the way. She hoisted herself up into the cramped tube, chose a direction that she thought seemed the right way and scrambled on her hands and knees as fast as she could.

Minutes in, bullets started to ricochet off the metal duct walls. They were shooting at her from below.

"Shit!" She kept crawling, there was no light just dirt and darkness but a breeze was coming from somewhere, she followed it. More bullets pinged off the duct and then something pierced the metal shaft and sliced through the meat of her left thigh.

"Ugh!" She tried to see the damage but it was too dark. She reached a hand back to inspect the wound and came back with moisture on her fingers. The bullet had grazed her. Small mercies. She crawled until she found herself above another grate and kicked it in. There were 4 guards waiting. Each one of them had their guns trained on her and they all started shooting at once.

They must not have had the armor piercing bullets because the duct was protecting her for moment while she retreated back into it.

"Shit!" She tried to remember what Caine had taught her. "What was it..." She took the gun from her back and tried to see what she was doing in the dim light of the metal duct. She pressed some buttons of the side to re-calibrate the weapon. It beeped. She was effectively turning the plasma rifle into a small grenade. She just needed to calm down the fire fight enough to get out of the vents.

The bullets below died down.

"Is she dead?" A voice called out.

"Why don't you check?" another replied.

Jupiter remained silent holding her breath and waiting.

A guard approached the vent opening, he couldn't see anything. As he got closer Jupiter took a deep breath, pressed another two buttons on her rifle and flung it down into the room below and curled back up in the vent.

"She's still al..." BOOM!

Jupiter's ears were ringing from the blast as she climbed down out of the vent and into what looked like another lab. 3 guards were down, 1 was still moving. He scrambled for his weapon when he saw her through the clearing dust but she was on him grabbing his gun with one hand and sending a hard right fist into his throat and then an elbow to his temple. She heard the crack. She swiped two hand guns this time from the dead guards. She took a knife too and tucked into the back of her underwear before running out into the corridor.

More bullets flew past her as she ran, she tried to keep low while shooting back.

"She's heading for the central chamber!" She heard someone callout.

Shit, the central chamber? That didn't sound like it was near any escape pods but she had no choice but to keep running. She rounded a corner and barreled into the female splice that greeted her earlier.

"SHE'S HERE!"

Jupiter bought the butt of her gun down across the woman's head sending her collapsing to the floor and kept moving. She rounded another corner and was blindsided by a huge splice, part human part boar it seemed. He'd knocked her down and sent her flying against a wall by a double door. She shook her head to get her senses back. She scrambled around and saw a gun near the boar splice. Shit.

He saw her eye on the gun and beckoned her to try. Jupiter got to her feet and edged towards him. He squinted, grunted then lunged at her. She dodged him. He lunged again but this time anticipated her dodge and grabbed her arm. She spun and punched him with her free fist. It didn't seem to do much damage. She jumped at him, arms around his neck, knees to his stomach but he just grabbed her by her arms almost crushing her then flung her across the floor and through the huge double doors.

Jupiter crashed into a pillar that drove into her side. Something cracked. "Aghh!" She curled up in pain, her ears ringing. She climbed to her feet as the boar splice charged her. Cradling her side, she dodged him once again and as he went past her she sprung onto his back, wrapping her legs around his arms pressing them to his sides and her arms across his throat and she squeezed as he stumbled and faltered. He was fighting back but he was getting weaker. She squeezed his throat more and he spun even more wildly looking for pillars and walls to smash her into.

Jupiter reached into the back of her underwear and pulled the knife out. She plunged it into his neck and he did squeal like a stuck pig then. She pulled it out and plunged it again and he slowed down and dropped to his knees. She stabbed him a third time. Blood was flowing out of him like someone left the tap running and then he fell with Jupiter riding him to the floor.

She rolled off him panting, rubbing his blood from her eyes.

5 more guards marched into the room, guns raised and aimed at Jupiter. She turned to face them in her panties and vest, covered in blood, her hair plastered to her face and a hunting knife in one hand. She stood her ground, one hand cradling her stomach.

"I'm sorry. I tried..." she whispered.

The guards charged her.

"ENOUGH!" Balem yelled from his throne.

Jupiter hadn't realised that she'd fought her way around the ship and back to where she started. She turned to Balem exhausted and dropped the knife. There was no point now. Balem was marching over to her as the guards closed in at her back so she couldn't escape that way.

"WHY MUST YOU TEST ME!" Balem's back hand was solid and snapped Jupiter's head to the side. She spat blood onto his black onyx floor before rearing up with a follow up fist to land on his jaw but he was quick and grabbed her wrist before she could make contact, and sending his other fist into her broken ribs. Jupiter fell to her knees.

"Now you know your place!" he wheezed.

Balem beckoned for someone to bring him the abdication commands. "You will sign this now."

Jupiter looked up from her knees cradling her side broken and shaking her head. "No."

Balem raged, bending over to shove the commands set at her. "You will sign this NOW!"

Jupiter looked up with fire in her eyes. She slowly climbed to her feet.

"No. I won't you sick fuck! You will never have earth."

Balem pulled a gun from his back and aimed it at Jupiter's head. "I will kill them all."

Jupiter shook her head. "I'll kill you first!" She charged Balem, spinning him so he was between her and the guards. She put a knee to his spine driving him down to his knees. She got him in a head lock from behind. She leaned to whisper into his ear. "Now you know your place." and with a snap to the left and all her might, she broke his neck.

There was a moment of stillness while Balem's lifeless body fell to the floor and his guards wondered whether to continue to carry out his bidding. The moment was short lived, they decided on a yes and that's when the bullets started flying. Jupiter grabbed Balem's gun and dived behind his throne. She was facing out into the glass between her and the void. While bullets ate away at the throne. She tried to pull some shots off but there weren't enough opportunities to do it. The guns were frantic. She pulled her knees up to her chest and pulled her head down trying to make herself small behind the deteriorating throne. She was done. There was nowhere else left to run. She tucked her head down and waited, her eyes squeezed shut tight.

Silence. This must be death, this must be it she thought. The bullets had stopped. There was a dull roar in her ears. She felt like she'd gone deaf.

"...Jupiter?..."

Her mind playing tricks. She hoped oblivion would take her curled up behind that throne.

"JUPITER?!" No that was definitely someone. Not just someone.

"JUPITER?"

"CAINE?" She poked her head out from the tatters of the throne and hoped it wasn't some cruel dream.

Her winged knight came bounding towards her like something from a greek myth. It was all the strength she had to flop out from behind the throne. Relief washing over her as pain set in, everywhere. Caine had burst through that wall of guards like they were nothing. He scooped Jupiter up in his arms and she wrapped her arms around his neck just to be sure he was real. Caine stood up with her and she got a glimpse over his shoulder at Stinger watching the door. A smile spread over her lips. "Stinger..." she whispered, but the whisper turned into a cough and the cough bought up blood.

Caine looked down at her. "Jupe?"

She reached up to touch his face but her arm was so heavy she could barely manage it.

"We gotta get outta here Caine!" Stinger called out to him. "We've got more incoming."

"Bring her round!" He called into his ear piece.

"Cai...Caine..."

"Shh..." Caine soothed her, "We're gonna be outta here soon, rest."

"No..I gotta tell you..." Jupiter coughed again, more blood.

Caine's heart was breaking, " Please just be still Jupiter." "Goddammit Stinger!"

"She's here!" Stinger called back out in response and not a moment too soon. The hall was filling up with more goons. There must have been 40 of them. But outside in space an aircraft had settled facing them.

"Get down boys." came the familiar voice over Caine and Stinger's ear pieces.

They both got as flat as they could and activated their space breathing apparatus. Caine placed one on Jupiter as the ship outside opened up it's guns and let rip, mowing down all of the guards in the hall and tearing the last Balem's henchmen to pieces.

The vacuum of space sucked Caine, Stinger and Jupiter out into the void but they were protected. They floated over to the air lock on the ship outside and boarded in moments.

"Nice shooting kid," Stinger called out, "But get the medi kit we got some trouble here."

tbc


	10. Chapter 10

Kiza locked the ship into auto and moved into the hull to meet them.

Caine gently lay Jupiter down on a bed in the back of the ship. It was small but it would do. Stinger helped Kiza get medical supplies together.

"Kiza," Stinger called out. "We need to portal."

"I know Dad," She replied with a large metal case in her hand. She lay it down on the floor next to Caine and started to prep. "I need to get her stable first."

"I'm gonna need to get in there a moment big guy," Kiza gently tapped Caine on the shoulder but he was reluctant to leave Jupiter's side, keeping her hand in his. Kiza looked over at her father for some help.

Stinger got her hint. "Hey Caine, you can't help her right now. Kiza can. She's in good hands, why don't you help me set the portal coordinates."

Caine didn't want to move, he didn't want to leave her but they were right, there was nothing more he could do right that minute. She was safe on board the ship but she wasn't out of the woods yet and as good as he was with a gun, Kiza was Jupiter's best bet now.

Caine released Jupiter's hand and backed away but he didn't go with Stinger to help set coordinates. He just stood back standing century. Helpless.

Kiza looked down at Jupiter. She was covered in blood from head to toe. It was drying on her skin and had caked into her hair. Kiza's first task was assessing how much of that blood was Jupiter's and then where the hell it was pouring from. It wasn't going to be a short job.

"Can't you use the healing spray?" Caine asked over Kiza's shoulder.

Kiza shook her head, "She's too serious for that now." Kiza took out a triage device that scanned Jupiter's body giving her a breakdown of her current condition. "Christ!" Jupiter whispered but of course Caine heard her.

"What? What is it?"

Kiza started to clear away the blood from the parts of Jupiter's body that she needed a clearer view of. "She's got 3 broken ribs, an upper arm fracture on her right side, a torn ligament in her left calf, dislocated shoulder but..."

Caine looked worried, "But?"

Kiza looked back at him. "I'm gonna need you to help me here,"

Caine knelt beside Kiza and Jupiter. Jupiter was growing pale, her lips tinting with blue, her breathing short, shallow and laboured.

"She's gotta collapsed lung. One of her broken ribs has given her a puncture. I need to get the air out from between her ribs and her lungs before I can re-inflate the lung. If we don't get this done now and done right, she will die Caine so I need you to do exactly as I say ok?"

Caine remained silent and nodded.

"Cut her shirt open up to her breast bone."

Caine did so without flinching or question. So much blood. Kiza took a scalpel out of the metal medi case along with a rubber tube.

"Caine, I'm gonna make an incision right here," she pointed at a space a third of the way down Jupiter's rib cage on one side. "As soon as I'm in I need you to feed the tube in quickly but steadily. Not too quick mind. There's gonna be blood but we want the tube to run clear. If it keeps draining blood then her lungs are filling with it and that aint good."

Caine nodded again. He calmly waited for kiza to make the cut and then he was in there with the tube feeding it into Jupiter's body until he felt like he reached the right place. How could he even be sure? Kiza told him to hold the tube steady while blood poured from the end, and it kept coming but after what seemed like an eternity the fluid ran clear. Caine didn't realise he was holding his breath till that moment. Kiza exhaled too.

She got Caine to help her close Jupiter up and then she could set about using the healing spray. When she was done Kiza and Caine were covered in Jupiter's blood.

"It's up to her from here on out Caine. I've done all I can, she should be fine eventually but...there's no real guarantee, I'm sorry, I don't wanna lie to you."

"I understand," Caine said the Kiza. When she got up with her medi case to leave the two alone Caine pulled her into a hug. He kissed the top of her head.

"Thank you."

Kiza squeezed him back. "I'll go see if we're ready to portal."

Then Caine was alone again with Jupiter laid out on the bed, the only thing showing that she was alive and not dead was the gentle rise and fall of her chest. Caine knelt down beside her with her hand in his. He lay his forehead down on her chest.

"What did you do Jupe? You were gonna leave me, just like that. After everything."

Jupiter's eyes fluttered open feeling the warm weight on her chest. She ached all over, it ached to speak but she mustered the strength to raise a hand and place it on Caine's head. "I...I'm sorry,"

Caine raised his head to look at her, "he said he would kill you, all of you..."

Caine cupped her cheek and kissed her forehead. "He would have killed us anyway."

"I know," Jupiter replied, "But I had to try. I thought once he got the title he would forget about you guys,"

Caine's hand ran down Jupiter's right arm gently. He turned her wrist upwards and brushed a thumb over the glowing tattoo she still had. "You still have your title."

"Someone changed my mind. Made me want to fight for it."

Caine looked at her, "Who?"

"Titus."

Caine looked confused. "I don't understand, we found Titus' body. What did he say to you, did he hurt you?"

Jupiter shook her head slowly. "He didn't hurt me. And it's not what he said." She took another laboured breath, "Before I killed him he showed me something..."

"What?" Caine asked.

Jupiter took gently took Caine's hand in hers and placed it on her abdomen. He looked down at her still not certain. Jupiter cradled Caine's cheek and gently pulled his head down to where he hand was. She pressed his face to her stomach.

He started to pull up and then froze. He closed his eyes, both hands on her stomach and breathed in deep. He turned eyes that had spilled to black orbs to Jupiter and she could see the moisture in them as he turned back to their normal hue.

"Jupiter..." was all he could think to say.

She smiled back. "You see, I couldn't just give up. It wasn't about just about me or you anymore. She's gonna need both of us.

Caine sat up, "She?"

Jupiter nodded, "You think we can do this?"

Caine didn't reply, just leaned down and kissed her. His hand not leaving her stomach.

2 years later.

It was the middle of the night. Jupiter was fast asleep with Caine beside her in peaceful slumber. The events of 2 years previous were a distant memory now and she and Caine were growing more and more comfortable in their new roles as keepers of the earth and guardians of the realm.

Jupiter rolled over woken by the heat of the warm July night. Caine didn't seem to notice. She tried not to hate him for it but when a wail of distress came from the adjoining room, a small smile crept on to her face.

"DADDY!"

Jupiter's smile got bigger as she Caine grumbled in protest.

"You heard the lady."

Caine got up, still half in sleep and padded into the nursery to get his daughter. He bought her back into the bed with the two of them. She was small like her mother but had nearly white blonde hair like her father save for a dark brown streak at the front. She had jupiter's huge brown eyes with Caine's Lycantant traits. It made breast feeding while the child was teething a short lived experiment.

"She wants in our bed," Caine said cradling the toddler in his arms.

Jupiter pulled back the sheets, "Well then what my Princess wants, my princess gets no?"

Caine smiled kissing the child on the head and plonking her down in the bed. Jupiter lay on her back propt up on pillows.

"Ya know we can't keep making a habit of this," Jupiter rubbed her rounded belly. "Your offspring are...exhausting."

Caine smiled and lay a hand on Jupiter's growing belly. "He's dreaming he's running," he lay a kiss on her stomach.

The End.

Excuse the typos or grammar farts, i'm super tired tonight and wanna go sleepies. Was really having trouble with ending this one so i've just stopped it here instead of labouring over it and driving myself crazy. Hoped you enjoyed the twists and turns. Thanks for following and reviewing and all that.


	11. Chapter 11

A little epilogue.?

CHAPTER 11

Jupiter sat on the front porch with Kiza at their beautiful forest home. Jupiter Swung idly on the porch swing while Kiza sat on a blanket on the wooden slatted floor and played with toddler Lexi. The child insisted on having a tea party and all in attendance, make believe or otherwise had no choice but to partake.

"I think I've had enough tea now Lexi," Kiza pleaded but to no avail.

"More tea!" Lexi demanded pouring another imaginary cup. "Drinks it." Her chubby fingers tilted the cup towards Kiza's face.

"Ok, ok..." Kiza took the small plastic cup and pretended to sip the hot beverage. "I wonder where she gets this from?" Kiza glanced up accusingly at Jupiter.

"Hey don't blame me," Jupiter swung back and forth on the porch swing smiling, "Cain's the bossy moody one remember?"

Kiza tilted her head in contemplation then agreement, "This is true. Fine. I guess future owner of earth needs to have some kinda people management skills, although at this point, she's a bit more Genghis than Gandhi if you get my drift."

Jupiter feigned insulted pride. "Hey, I'll remind her you said that when she's old enough to give a crap."

Kiza shrugged un-threatened. "By then you'll be so old you'll have forgotten."

"Oh you're lucky my ass is too big to get up outta this chair." She called over to her daughter. "Lexi baby?.."

The toddler turned to her.

"Kiza's being mean to mummy, what do we do?"

Lexi put down her plastic tea pot, leaned over to Kiza and kissed her on the cheek, giving her a quick squeeze. "I fixes her." Big grin on her face.

Jupiter sighed. Kiza laughed. "Haha, is that how that was supposed to go?"

Jupiter shook her head smiling, "Lexi thinks that kissies and cuddles makes everyone nice again."

"Yeah, we're waiting for her to get a little older so I can teach her to kick your ass!" Caine came striding up to the porch.

"Daddy!" Lexi got up too fast and fell down then got up again carefully taking the stairs down the to ground level to run to Caine.

Caine's face was lit up. He was back from a mission of peace keeping that took him off world. He looked tired and a little beat up but Lexi didn't notice and once she was scooped up in his arms, Caine didn't care either.

"How's my little princess today?"

"I making tea!" She beamed at him "Wansome?" Caine brushed her platinum curls from her eyes and kissed her cupids bow mouth. "Maybe later princess."

Lexi looked a little put out until Caine tipped her up in his arms and blew raspberries on her belly causing her to giggle until she couldn't breath straight.

"if you make her pee herself again, you're changing her mister!" Jupiter called over from the porch swing with a smile on her face that said she missed him too.

Caine set Lexi down on the grass at his feet. The child looked up at him quizzically. "Daddy smelldses like pennies."

Both Kiza and Jupiter knew what that meant.

"He does huh princess? Well I better get mom to find them huh?"

"And leaves under my pillow?"

Caine knelt down on the grass and gave the toddler another kiss on the top of her head then tussled her hair. "uh huh, then l'll leave them under your pillow."

Kiza got up, "Come on munchkin, let's go look after the bees before bed." She shoved Caine in the shoulder with her own while leaning in and quietly, "You ain't gonna fool her forever dumbass." Kiza held her hand out to Lexi and walked off to the bee house.

"Thanks Kiz!" he called after her.

"yeah yeah," she called back waving Caine off.

He turned to Jupiter, her head was cocked to the side with that look. He knew that look as he approached the porch.

"It's not that bad."

Jupiter smiled, holding out her hand, "I'll be the judge of that." Caine hoisted her up from the porch swing, his arms circling her. He kissed her head and sniffed her quietly, smelling, listening.

"You don't need to do that ya know."

"What?" He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"You know what. You're taking inventory. Of me...us. We're fine. I'd tell you if we weren't, which is more than I can say about you."

Caine released Jupiter and headed indoors, he stopped in the kitchen.

"What now?"

Caine headed for a cupboard. "The boy is hungry."

Jupiter tried to fight back a smile. "You're an ass. Get upstairs, we can eat later."

Caine had his hands up in surrender as he took the stairs two at a time. He knew better than to argue with her.

Once in the bedroom Jupiter shoved Caine into the direction of the en suite. "Go take a shower, I need to see what i'm working with."

Jupiter headed out of the room but Caine called after her. "Where you going?"

Jupiter stopped and turned around, "Med kit." She walked off again but Caine's voice called after her once more.

"Med kits I the cupbard, second drawer down."

"Oh is it? Well we'll need clean water,"

Caine narrowed his eyes at her, "You're going to make a sandwich aren't you."

Jupiter ignored him and left the room. "Just get in the damn shower!"

When Jupiter came back up the stairs with a jug of water Caine was stood by the window, a towel round his waist and a communicator in his hand. Jupiter set the jug down and saw that the med kit was already laid out on the bed. She nodded to the small comms unit. "Stinger?"

Caine clicked it off and lay it down on the side table. "Yeah, he'll be back tomorrow. Had to stay behind. Paper work and politics."

"Long as he's safe."

Jupiter noticed the gash on Caine's upper back and sighed. "Bed."

Caine smiled, "Your Majesty."

Jupiter rolled her eyes, "Just get on your stomach. Kiza was right, you are a dumbass."

Caine did as he was told. It was easier for her to get to the wound that way. Caine lay on his stomach, the towel still around his waist. He folded his arms under his head with his face to the far wall.

"It's not terrible. But I need to stitch it."

"No spray?"

"Sorry soldier, we're all out. Gotta go old school this time. It's gonna hurt."

Jupiter felt Caine's body rise then fall as he took a deep steadying breath. He nodded his head and closed his eyes trying to find that centre in himself that helped him deal with pain.

When he felt the needle pierce his skin at the start of the stitches it made Caine flinch. Jupiter noticed his muscles in his back bunch and flex momentarily.

"I don't like that Lexi can smell blood, especially on you. She's gonna figure it out sooner or later."

Caine nodded gently, "I know. I didn't think her senses would be so sharp, not at all, and definitely not so soon."

The needle pierced his flesh again and drew the cotton thread through. "You need to talk to her."

The burning sensation built with every incision. Jupiter's hands stilled for a moment. "I honestly don't know. Just talk to her, she's getting so inquisitive and she's sharp as all hell. You'll figure it out." Jupiter picked up a small pair of scissors and cut the thread before placing a bandage over the wound and taping it in place.

"All done." She yawned and slid off Caine to lay beside him on her back.

He turned to face her, rolling on to his side. "You okay?"

"Just tired, I was helping Kiza with the plants today, guess it took more out of me than I thought." Jupiter flinched and exhaled, a hand going to her lower left side.

"I'm gonna warn Kiza about working you too hard. My boy not happy?"

Jupiter turned her head to face Caine, "He's been restless all day and i'm pretty sure he's had his tiny foot on my bladder like it was a gas pedal for the 2 hours out of spite!" Jupiter grimaced again. "Damnit!"

Caine sat up and rolled her shirt up off her 6months pregnant belly. He lowered his face to run his nose over the bump then his ear. "Is he hurting you?"

"Just sitting on a nerve."

Caine kissed her belly then cupped it with one hand, "Listen up son. Your Mom is tired of running to the bathroom every ten mins, and you're literally getting on her nerves so how about you do your Dad a solid and shift ya weight huh?"

Jupiter couldn't help but smile. Caine's fatherly instincts were as natural as him breathing. She lay a hand on his head and brushed her fingertips through his close cropped damp hair.

"What did he say?"

Caine turned his other ear to her stomach so he could see Jupiter's face. "I think he just flipped me off."

Jupiter laughed, "You're such a goofball,"

"He obviously gets his temper from you. Now quiet while work."

Jupiter swatted Caine on the head, but remained silent. Caine lowered his face to her belly once again and began massaging the place where she felt the discomfort. He took his other hand to help while he let out a low growl that was more purr than growl. He rubbed his face back and forth over her bump and gradually, bit by bit Jupiter felt the pressure ease off her bladder and her nerve. Caine felt Jupiter relax and heard her sigh in comfort. She shook her head.

"I'll never know how you do that but when puppy comes out, he better listen to me as well as he listens to you."

Caine smiled back at her, "We'll make sure if it."

Jupiter took the tip of Caine's ear between her fingers massaging it. His eyes narrowed.

"What are you up to Majesty."

Jupiter cast devious eyes back down at him with a whisper. "Now I'm hungry..."


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12 -just kinda seeing where this goes :)

On an unknown space freighter in the outer colonies.

"Sir, there's been a strike on Balem's Palace."

"NO! Who?!"

"It's not confirmed yet but rumours are that his attempts to take the throne went bad."

"Her?"

"With help Sir."

"From?"

"Sky Jackers Sir. One of them was recognised as the one who stole the re-occurrence of the Queen from Titus at the Wedding."

"Caine! That savage. What of the Palace?"

"Beyond repair Sir"

"And Balem?"

The subordinate shakes his head then lowers his gaze, "No more Sir."

A rage builds up inside the man who is tall yet slight. His skin is a golden caramel and his hair an oil slick black with golden flecks that trail down his back in a tight, neat French braid. His eyes are almond encased pools of red-orange rage spilling clear blue sorrow over dark brown lashes. His stature is strong, his clothing rich yet functional. Unlike Balem this man is strong in body and mind, his hands used to money and battle, his mouth firm and set, at home with debate and vitriol. His hands are fists with knuckles mottled white as he sits down at a near by console, his forehead rested on clasped hands.

"He was mine. He was my light. I told him to leave it be, I told him the Earth would pale in significance to the life we could seek beyond the colonies but he was ambitious, and passionate...and now..."

He fell silent again, trying to instil some composure in himself. He took a deep breath and then another before sitting up right, his brow setting firm. He makes no attempt to swat the moisture from his cheeks.

"His life will be avenged."

"Sir?"

"Find Balem's body, bring it to me. I want him laid to rest as he should be. Contact his sister and make arrangements for his funeral."

The man gently runs his fingers over a small gold badge on the left breast of his jacket. "I should never have left you. The expedition was only to be 3 years,...nothing. If only you'd waited for me...if only you'd come with me." He sighed again and walked over to the ships window gazing into the dark starry void.

"Set a course for Earth."

"Aye Sir."

Back on Earth 2 days later.

Jupiter woke up from a nap, alone. She reached out for the space on the bed beside her that usually was taken up with the expanse of Caine but he wasn't there. They'd gone down for a nap together. It was a rare luxury now his work too him off world more and more often and for longer periods of time. Jupiter rolled on to her side to push herself upright. She didn't remember the last pregnancy being so draining on her. She kicked on a pair of sneakers and made her way downstairs.

Stinger and Kiza's house was empty if not for a few stray bees but she could hear commotion outside. Jupiter made her way to the back yard to find Kiza and Lexi sat on a swing set staring up at the sky.

"Mammam!" Lexi squeaked, her words failing her when she got excited. Lexi waved at her Mother but stayed put gently ebbing back and forth.

"Hey, thought you were going to sleep through to the night." Kiza said patting the swing next to hers.

"Nah, I don't sleep so heavy when I'm alone I guess. What you guys doing?" She asked.

"Watching Dad and Caine train," Kiza nodded towards the sky.

Jupiter looked up to see Stinger and Caine zipping through the air high up against the clouds. They were grappling with each one minute then chasing each other the next. Jupiter had to shield her eyes from the glare of the dying sun. "How long they been up there?"

"Nearing two hours. I fed Lexi and then we came out, kinda dinner and a show huh?"

Jupiter smiled. "I guess so. Just as long as the show stays PG."

Kiza nodded, "No worries, they're not doing weapons combat today, it's all stamina and strategy. All toddler friendly fun."

"Who's winning baby? Daddy or Uncle Stinger?"

The child didn't take her eyes off the sky, just shrugged transfixed.

Moments later Stinger and Caine came tumbling out of the sky entwined. They hurtled towards the ground and crashed through the roof of the small detached garage at the back of the house.

"Holy Shit!" Kiza exclaimed.

"ho shit" Lexi repeated.

Jupiter shot a stern look at Kiza who returned it with raised shoulders and an 'I'm sorry' look on her face.

"Shit!" Lexi said again.

"Damnit Kiza!" Jupiter huffed.

"Damn Kizza"

Kiza chuckled, "That one's on you Jupe,"

Jupiter couldn't repress her smile much longer then burst out laughing with Kiza"

"What's all the commotion?" Caine came bounding over shaking debris from the fall from his hair and clothes.

Jupiter shrugged, "Nothing."

"Shit Daddy!" Lexi repeated again. Caine's eyes went wide.

"Oh yeah, our daughter swears now. Thank Kiza."

"Damnit Kiza" Caine shot her a glare.

"Dammy Daddy!" Lexi repeated.

"Princess no..." Caine looked mortified at teaching his daughter a new bad word.

"Yeah...that one might have been pre-loaded by me." Jupiter mentioned not having the heart to leave Caine thinking this was all his doing.

Caine smiled, "We're terrible parents." He scooped Lexi up.

"Daddy falled down."

"Yea he did. Make it better?"

Lexi put her arms around his neck and squeezed then kissed his cheek. "Better?"

"Much better, princess"

"What about me? I hurt myself too.." Came stinger's gruff voice from behind Caine.

Lexi ditched Caine and reached out for Stinger. "Lexi make better Unky stinna" Stinger hauled her into his arms for his own squeeze and a kiss. "Ahh that's made it all better. I'm right as rain now lass."

"Righty Rain." Lexi repeated.

Kiza got up, "Come on kiddo, let's get you ready for bed so the grown ups can talk."

"Hoey Shit!"

"What did she say?" Stinger looked on wide eyed.

Jupiter sighed, "Blame your daughter and her potty mouth."

Kiza picked Lexi up to take her inside, "Hey at least she has context." Kiza smiled and skipped off with the toddler.

"Sorry about that kids," Stinger said genuinely.

"Don't worry about it," Jupiter reassured him, "She'll be swearing in Russian too soon enough. I'll just teach her what my Mother taught me."

"What was that?" Stinger asked

"That there is a time and a place. Like when you stub your toe, or at the DMV."

Stinger smiled. "You catch the show Jupe?" He dusted some debris from his hair.

"Oh you mean the falling from the sky and crashing through the barn? Yea, it was...interesting." she teased.

"I'll have you know Majesty, that was some first rate flying before I took ya boyfriend down."

"Yeah there's fight in the old man yet." Caine stretched out his left shoulder, it got stiff from time to time.

"Less of the old junior!" Stinger grumbled back. "I'm going to go teach ya daughter some good old fashioned northern words!" And he walked off into the house.

"Shoulder bothering you again hun?" Jupiter asked noticing Caine trying to ease the tension.

"It's alright just gets a little tight after endurance training." he replied shaking off her concern.

"Sit" Jupiter nodded at the swing chair.

"I'm fine,"

Jupiter's hand went to her hip. "That's an order."

Caine cracked a rye smile, nodded and did as he was told, "Majesty."

Jupiter took off his armoured vest and started to kneed his knotted shoulders. Caine carried all his tension in his shoulders. It was an effort to work the muscle but she kept at it, down his spine and up the back of his neck then back across the shoulders until she was working the one that ached the most. Caine was silent for the most part. That was until she applied more pressure to the sore muscle. He flinched then eased up again. She could feel the rumble in his chest of the beginings of a pur or a growl, she wasn't sure yet. She was hurting him that was for sure because after a few more moments of her torturing his sensitive sinews Caine reached up behind him, grabbed Jupiter's arm firmly and bought her wrist to his open mouth. He grazed his canines over the delicate skin with just enough force to make her gasp, a hairs breath short of breaking the skin. The sound she made bought a smile to Caine's lips, she couldn't see his face but she could feel it against her skin.

Jupiter dug the nails of her free hand into the side of Caine's neck causing his eyes to close and his head to tilt into the torture. He tugged at her wrist gently but firm indicating he wanted her in front of him now and she did so. Caine tugged her close to him parting his legs to holder her near. The only thing stopped full contact being her swollen belly. Sat down on the swing still he was able to nuzzle her stomach. He did that a lot lately. Something primal leftover from the wolf, Jupiter told herself. There was a lot of primal in Caine. His eyes were closed, his hands now on her stomach with his face as he rubbed his forehead, his cheeks, his lips against her. His hands caressed each side of her and the unborn child seemed to relax with contentment, moving only when his father drew his attention using hands and sounds and vibration.

Jupiter's hands instinctively caressed Caine's close cropped hair as she gazed down at him but when he looked back up at her all innocence had drained away and was replaced by that thing that made knots form in her gut, that made her knees that little bit more unsteady. It was a look that predators gave their prey. Caine took both her wrists and turning them upwards ran his nose across her veins taking her in. He held on to her right arm and breathed her in deep and slow, wrist to elbow, stopping there to kiss her in the crook of it, then continuing to the curve of her neck where teeth grazed collar bone. Jupiter had to hold on to him with her other hand. The pregnancy had made everything more sensitive. It was like processing his DNA with hers for 9 months was altering her permanently.

She smiled and arched her back revealing more of her long neck, her collar, her cleavage and he attacked each offering with enthusiasm. Caine gripped Jupiter's hips and tugged her flush against him again, well as flush as they could get. His hands relaxed either side of her slowly moving south along her thighs down to the hem of her shirt dress. On reach the bottom of the dress and Jupiter's cool skin he slid his hands back up and under the dress to loop a finger in each side of her underwear. Jupiter could feel him smiling into her cleavage as he nuzzled her breasts.

"What?" She smiled down at him stroking the tips of his ears causing his eyes to narrow almost closed in pleasure.

"You smell...ready."

Jupiter leaned down to take the smile form Caine's lips with her own. "I am," She whispered into his mouth before moving her lips to his sensitive ears.

Caine tugged the underwear down her legs and stuffed them in his pocket. "I like that I can still do that to you."

Jupiter undid the belt to Caine's pants and cupped him through them, firm, thick and solid. "Ditto," She smiled back before freeing him.

Caine's strong hands pressed into the meat of her backside, sliding down to the top of her thighs so he could guide her to sit astride his lap. Jupiter chuckled, "I don't think that's gonna work, and even if it did, we might break the swing."

The mood changed a little as Caine smiled back and the intensity between them dipped with the rising amusement. Caine considered Jupiter's words and nodded with agreement. "I think you're right. Lexi would not be happy if we broke the swing."

"IT'S NOT A SEX SWING!" Kiza called out from the kitchen window.

Jupiter cupped her hand over her mouth in shame. "Shit they hear everything!"

"IF YOU'D STOP RUTTING FOR FIVE MINUTES THERE WOULDN'T BE SO MUCH TO HEAR!" Stinger called out after them.

Caine got up taking Jupiter's hand and lead her away from the house, "Let's get away from those perverts." He lead her down to what was newly constructed, small but functional boat house by the lake.

"Hey those perverts are babysitting our daughter."

Caine Shrugged, "You get what you pay for." Jupiter smiled in agreement walking over to the far window box seat to gaze out over the lake. The night was dark but the sky thick with stars. "I can never get over how beautiful it is out here."

Caine moved up behind her, his hands back on her hips, his lips nuzzling her neck, "I think the same about you every day Majesty."

Jupiter smiled and leaned back into him, her eyes fluttered closed when she felt him pulling her flush against himself, grinding his groin into her. He swept her hair to one side to give himself better access to her flesh while his hands started to work her shirt dress up as Jupiter started to match his rhythm.

Caine reached down between them and found Jupiter wet and ready. He used his strength to guide one of her knees up onto the window seat to give him better access. Jupiter reached behind herself to help free him once again but Caine refused her, instead batting her hand away and placing one of his on her back, bending her gently forward. He guided himself into her with firm force until he was buried to the hilt and Jupiter's gasp was still ringing in his ears. Then he moved, slowly at first, his teeth worrying at Jupiter's shoulder making her whimper and grasp at the window frame for leverage. Caine's body soon folder over hers cocooning her smaller frame while his strong arms reached over her shoulders, his hands meeting hers on the window frame and with that he used the same leverage to pulse into her harder, faster, the way he felt her body begging him to but her lips unable to verbalise other than the moans and whimpers and gasps that spurned him on. They were both close now. Caine's body grew a sheen of sweat in the humid night air while Jupiter's hair hung in her face like something wild. She gave as good as she got matching Caine's rhythm with every stroke, both of them undulating like an angry sea, polar opposite to the calm serine lake. Feeling Jupiter nearing her edge as she begun to tighten around him Caine hauled her upright, her back tight and flat against his chest and simultaneously one hand dove under her shirt to torture her breast while the other sought out the swollen bud between her legs and waiting for the right time as Jupiter's cries grew louder, her body tighter and slicker, Caine chose the perfect moment to bite down on her shoulder spilling her over the edge of bliss.

Jupiter lay against Caine's chest breathing deep and heavy, catching her breath while she spilled back into herself and could count on the cooperation of her arms and legs. One arm was slung behind her over Caine's shoulder her other hand held his between her legs. Caine knew she would be super sensitive after an orgasm but she liked to keep his hand there still, comforting until she was ready to release him and he really had no reason to argue. His lips and tongue soothed the small cut he'd made to her shoulder.

"Sorry," He whispered at her, "I forget."

Jupiter's eyes were still closed, "Mmmm?" she was not present.

Caine smiled and shook his head as he took his hand back, eased her dress down, sheathed himself back into his pants and then sat them both down on the window seat. Jupiter turned to her side to nuzzle more into Caine.

"You ruin me."

Caine kissed her forehead, "You've said that before."

Jupiter reached a hand up to place over Caine's cheek while her ear found his heart. "It's true."

Caine's body went still then rigid, he'd clicked over into sentry mode. His heart beat had sped up, Jupiter could hear it.

"What is it?"

Caine sat up taking her with him. He listened some more, his face unreadable, "Something's coming..." He sprung from the seat with Jupiter.

"GO!"

He shoved her ahead of himself as they bolted from the boat house.

"What!?" Jupiter called back.

"Not sure, I don't see it. RUN!" Caine yelled and they both started to race away from the lake when the bang that followed shortly after made Jupiter's head ring, the pressure flinging her to the ground. She fell on her side. An instinct partly her training and partly wanting to protect her stomach. Her eyes darted back to find Caine on the ground behind her, blood pouring from a wound at his side but he was scrambling to his feet as a small fleet of airborne mercenaries uncloaked above them.

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

Caine felt like something had been torn out of him. His wings were tucked and limp behind him, there was no point in taking to the skies with the enemy up there but he could run. He felt weak but the sight of Jupiter in the distance gave him all the incentive he needed to dig deep. Jupiter had stopped running, was on the ground looking back at him with fear on her face.

"RUN!"

Jupiter looked ahead then back at Caine. She was conflicted. There was an emergency defence kit in the boat house which was a damn sight closer than the main house with her daughter, Stinger and Kiza in it. No way was she running to them but at the same time she wasn't going to run aimlessly into the night to leave Caine to fight off the attack on his own, he could barely stand. Jupiter shook her head. She glanced up at the now revealed set of mercenaries atop what looked like hovering platforms. Large thick discs, some were stood up on theirs some were on one knee and there were about 5 of them at first glance dressed in dark clothing, black close cropped helmets that left their jaws exposed.

As Jupiter rand back to the boat house a hail of gun fire lit up a trail behind her.

"NO!" Caine took to the skies choosing his gravity boots over his wings for agility. Two of the mercenaries took after him and he zipped through the sky trying to avoid the gunfire.

Meanwhile Jupiter had located the bag in the corner of the boat house, she ripped it open and pulled out two guns and a dagger that she hung in a sling around her neck. She ran out of the boat house to see Caine wrestling with one of the mercs on his hovering disc. Caine leapt onto the back of one of them only to have another leap on to his in turn. Jupiter aimed and fired into the merc on Caine's back causing him to fall off his disc to the ground. Bullets flew back passed her from another merc. She ran behind a tree and fired out from behind it taking out one of the hover discs causing the merc to plummet to the ground mere yards from her. She ran out form behind the tree still firing into the sky.

Caine had snapped the neck of the merc he was fighting only to have another one come up from behind and send a blow to the back of his head. He too fell to the ground with a thud knocking the wind from him. He was bleeding from the head and the stomach now.

"CAINE! Jupiter called out trying to run to him but something lassoed her ankles and bought her to the ground like a captured pig. Again she tried to twist to the impact was taken on her side not her stomach but she barely had time. The pain shot through her when she hit the ground and in seconds she was being dragged by the ankles back to one of the mercs. She went for her knife and tried desperately to cut through the cord but the angle was all wrong.

The skies grew louder again.

"JUPITER!" Stinger called out from the skies, his wings spread and guns drawn, he shot down the merc who had Jupiter snared giving her time to untie herself. She'd never been so relieved to see him.

Caine was on the ground wrestling with another merc. Stinger took aim but before he could pull the trigger a larger figure uncloaked wearing gravity boots.

"STOP!" He had the red dot of an infra red scope on Jupiter.

"NO!" Caine and Stinger shouted in unison. They ceased fighting immediately.

A merc had his gun aimed at Caine on the ground while this new person lowered to the ground.

"Secure Stinger." he ordered and the two remaining mercs did as they were told. The person was dressed better, stood taller, more confident when he spoke and when he took off his red helmet he revealed the face of someone younger than his voice dictated.

"I suggest you stay where you are Caine."

Caine stayed down, on the ground.

"Anybody moves and Her Majesty and all she holds dear, dies"

Jupiter stayed still. "Who are you?"

The man narrowed eyes at her. "Of course you have no idea. You run around this universe eyes closed and ears shut. That is how people like myself continue to operate outside of the ranges of your authority and we have done so for a century. A long alliance with the Royal Family was destroyed so quickly, so callously by you and your slaves because you have no idea what you're doing, Majesty."

"This about the house of Abrasax?" Jupiter asked.

"Oh and so much more. You and I could have been great partners as I have been with your occurrence before you and your family among them but you made mistake after mistake. Every decision since your accession has been a blinding failure. And now you've forced me to step out from the shadows for one simple, pure and final reason. Vengeance.!"

He kicked Caine in the side causing him to groan. Stinger struggled under the restraint of his guards and Jupiter flinched trying to stay strong but her eyes betraying her. She stayed where she was.

"He was everything to me. I can agree that Titus was...arrogant, ambitious and in the end perhaps a little misguided. I mourned him for a short while. But Balem. When I heard that Balem's fortress had been besieged by his own Mother, I could not believe it. You destroyed everything he had, everything he was and everything I loved and with that I will return the favour. If this be my martyrdom, my final act so be it. I only wish to avenge my beloved Balem with the blood and suffering of his enemies."

The well dressed man kicked Caine in the shoulder forcing him to roll on to his back before putting a heavy boot on to his chest to hold him there. "You will have your love torn apart as mine was Majesty and you will live to remember it every day as I have."

The well dressed man took aim and shot Caine in the right shoulder. He cried out in pain.

"NO!" Jupiter surged forward.

"Uh Uh Majesty."

Jupiter stopped, dropping to her knees clutching her stomach protectively. The well dressed man moved his boot to brace Caine's arm against the ground then lowered his gun and shot Caine in the hand. Caine growled again. Stinger struggled forward but a blow to the back of his head bought him to the ground. Caine was writhing in pain. The well dressed man was smiling.

"Does it hurt Caine? Does it burn? You'll heal. I don't have long. The Aegis will be aware of my presence by now. So I will leave you with this parting memento."

The well dressed man pulled a short sword from a sheath on his back and swinging it high and in one quick movement sliced off Caine's hand. Jupiter couldn't process what she was seeing, she couldn't scream, she couldn't move she was frozen in horror.

"Heal that dog!" He spat on Caine and left him clutching at the bleeding stump. "Kill them all!" The well dressed man ordered as she turned and rose into the night sky again but he fell to ground, with a thud. Blood poured from a hole in the back of his head. The two mercs on Stinger darted around trying to find where the shots were coming from but before anyone was revealed one of them slumped to the ground with a hole in the head. Stinger swung around and grabbed the final one unaware, he got him from behind and slit his throat with a hunting knife. He turned looking for the sniper and sighed with relief when Kiza rose up from behind the boat house in her own gravity boots, a rifle strapped across her back.

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

"CLEAR" Kiza shouted.

Stinger was already running over to Caine to kneel beside him with Jupiter. He was still now, curled on his side blood pooling around him like a crimson blanket. He was quiet now too, no roaring, no screaming just still and growing cold.

"KIZA!" Stinger yelled over to her.

She didn't need calling twice, she dove over to Caine, making a messy landing in her haste.

"Oh no..." Her voice was low, she tried to take in the whole picture. So much blood.

"Kiza?" Stinger called but she couldn't really hear him. So much blood, where to start. She'd never had to deal with anything like this.

"KIZA?" Stinger shook her from her daze.

"Sorry Dad, uh..." Her forehead creased, her eyes welled up and she shook her head glancing down at the bloody stump and the discarded limb.

"Kiza, sweetheart," Stinger's voice was low and calm now too. His grown up daughter had just reverted back to a child before his eyes but he needed Kiza the Medic right now. "You can do this. He's dying. If you don't get it together he's gone. What can we do?"

Kiza struggled to pull herself back into herself. "I...er.."

"Kiza, please save him," Jupiter this time, her voice small, pleading and near hopeless. It seemed to get through.

"Uh Ok,.. we need to get him back to the house. Dad, help me with him. Jupiter I need you to make sure Lexi is stil asleep. When you're done meet us in the spare room at the back." Kiza kicked off her gravity boots and gave them to Jupiter. "These will be quicker." Kiza then tugged off Caine's boots and put them on to help Stinger tow him back to the house. Stinger picked up Caine's severed Hand and took it with them.

Back at the house, the light in the spare room made the entire mess of Caine clear. Kiza had to take several deep breaths before she continued to exam him. He was still breathing, barely. She had to stabalise him before she did anything else. Stinger had put Caine's severed hand on ice for the time being.

Kiza took a syringe and a vial from a case and gave Caine a shot. "This will make him more comfortable and more manageable. I need him out for this."

Stinger nodded. Jupiter entered the room at that moment, her face drawn with worry, her clothes still caked in Caine's blood.

"How's little'un?" Stinger asked.

"Asleep," Jupiter gave a weak smile, "Just keep an ear out for her will you? You guys hear better than me. If she wakes up I need to stop her coming down the stairs."

Stinger nodded. "Of course."

"How is he?" Jupiter asked Kiza, trying not to put all her hopes into that one sentence.

Kiza was cutting off his shirt. "A mess. The shot he took to the stomach went through his gut. I'm going to have to clean that out and seal his intestines before I can close him up."

"Can't you use the spray?" Jupiter felt like she already knew the answer.

Kiza shook her head genuinely sorry, "Not for this hun, he's too far gone." Kiza revealed the gaping wound to his stomach and several more thankfully comparatively minor wounds to his torso, some would respond to the spray, some would need stitching.

Jupiter's throat grew tight but she forced herself to keep it together. "And his hand?"

Kiza glanced at Stinger and stopped her ministrations with a heavy sigh. I'm sorry. I can't save it."

Jupiter felt like the wind had been knocked from her. She lowered to her knees on the floor beside the bed protectively and instinctively cupping her stomach with one hand. "There must be something,... you guys have all this tech?"

Kiza shook her head again, her shoulders slumped. Her voice filling with grief, "The blade he used. It was heated Kulmin silver, it's super toxic. When it slices it simultaneously burns and infects damaging the tissue around it I could try and cut away the burned flesh and re-attach the hand but his mobility, dexterity would be that of an infant, if he retained anything at all and there's no guarantees the limb wouldn't get rejected eventually. I'm so sorry Jupe, I just can't.

Jupiter nodded in silence. "But he'll live?"

"We'll have to keep an eye on him. But I swear to you I won't stop until he's through the worst."

Jupiter nodded exhausted. Stinger glanced over at Jupiter. "You should get some rest Majesty, there's nothing much either of us can do here. I'll stay with Kiza and help patch up our boy up but you and the little ones need some sleep."

Jupiter was suddenly more exhausted than she'd ever been. She nodded again and stood up. Aches and pains she didn't know she had were coming up to say hello. She wanted to be there for Caine but Stinger was right there was nothing she could do but sit there distressed and worried and she had a toddler asleep upstairs that didn't need to see the horror show that was lying in the spare room and looked like her Father. "Call me if anything changes?"

"Promise" Stinger replied.

After Jupiter left Stinger and Kiza looked at each other.

"Dad..." Kiza's lip was trembling, her hands shaking. She'd been keeping it together for Jupiter but now she was gone the little girl was resurfacing.

Stinger stilled one of her small hands with both of his. "I know kiddo. I'm scared too. You can do this ok?"

Kiza took a deep breath and nodded, "Yes."

And then she sat about piecing the poor man back together. There wasn't enough bandage, or gauze or trays. They had to improvise until Caine's blood coated every inch of the bed he lay on. The smell from a perforated gut is not pleasant to say the least but neither Stinger nor Kiza noticed . The only thing that was important was keeping Caine alive. And then there was the hand. Kiza's eyes rested on that bloody stump for too long. Stinger had to give her a nudge again. She took a deep breath and went about searing away the damaged flesh with a lazer knife. The smell, the sound, it was sickening. It took what seemed like hours but when she was done the wound was clean, the flesh a healthy pink and she went about sewing him up.

The spray wouldn't heal him but it made her treatments more effective so she used it where she could. Caine was a sickly grey when they were done lying there like a slab of meat. Stinger and Kiza were covered in sweat, their faces plastered with fear and hope. Kiza sat back just staring at his still form and Stinger did something so uncharacteristic she could barely take it in. He stood up, went over to Caine's lifeless body and lay a tender kiss on the younger man's forehead.

"Be well son."

Stinger then turned to Kiza who looked in danger of coming apart and pulled her into his arms. "You are the greatest thing I have ever done with my life. I love the bones of ya kid."

Kiza squeezed him back. What could she say to come back at that? Nothing.

Jupiter was upstairs fresh from the shower. Still only half present but enough that she could watch over her daughter. Little Lexi was asleep in a little cot bed bed in a box room upstairs. It used to be an office and then became her play den and Stinger said it was now her room permanently. Lexi loved it. Jupiter went into the room and stroked her hair a while. The child didn't stir straight away but eventually her eyes fluttered open but Jupiter was miles away not realising she'd woken Lexi up with her ministrations. Jupiter's eyes were on the far wall staring at nothing in particular. Lexi was yawning, her little face scrunched up from sleep as she turned under her mothers hand.

"Mamam?"

Jupiter glanced down surprised. "Sorry baby I didn't mean to wake you up."

"I hearded noises" she rubbed at her eyes attempting to wake herself up but Jupiter soothed her down again.

"shhh, I know baby, it was nothing."

"Mamam?"

"hmm?"

"You smells like pennies."

Jupiter looked confused at first but her daughters nose was like her fathers, never wrong. She glanced down at herself. She'd showered. Maybe she could smell the blood all the way from downstairs?

And then it dawned on her. An ache in her gut, her lower back and stopped breathing for a couple of moments.

"Baby you go back to sleep and Mommy will find the pennies ok?"

Lexi nodded,

"But you have to sleep for reals ok all night?"

Lexi nodded again and shut her eyes rolling over to face the window.

"Good girl." Jupiter managed to keep her voice even as she left the room, with a slow terror spilling around her heart. Back in her own room, she reached a hand down between her legs and it came back wet with her blood. She wanted to scream out for help but she couldn't. Lexi had just gone back down so she slowly crept down the stairs, the ache in her back turning into a searing pain, her eyes filling with tears and her legs threatening to buckle under her.

She rounded a corner and made her way gingerly down the hall way back to the spare room when a twisting pain tore through her. She gasped but clamped a hand over her mouth so not to cry out. She used the wall to keep upright and just as she got to the room she fell into Stinger.

"JUPITER!"

Kiza ran to her. "What's..." Then her eyes fell to Jupiters legs, and the blood that trailed down them.

"SHIT!" "Dad I need to get this baby out now!"

Stinger nodded and lay Jupiter down on the floor of the room. Kiza still needed to keep an eye on Caine after all.

"What's happening?" Jupiter searched their faces for hidden answers.

"I need to stop the bleeding but I need to get this boy out first."

"No!" Jupiter said trying to get up but being held down by Stinger. "I can't be in labour, it's too soon!"

"I know," Kiza said "You're not in full labour and you're not going to be. I need to do a caesarian."

"Have you done this before?"

"Only in simulators."

Jupiter tried to get up again.

"Jupe you need to trust me, this needs to happen now or both of you could die."

Jupiter tried to force herself calm, focus on the things that mattered. Caine safe and alive, Lexi, their son. She took another calming breath.

"Jupe...?" Caine's groggy voice came from the bed beside her. His head was moving slowly back and forth as he tried to see through the mist of drugs in his system. He turned his head sideways to look down at her but could barely focus. "Wha...?"

"Be still Caine. It's the baby, Jupiter needs to birth that boy right now but we gotta cut her."

"Jupe...?"

She crained her head to look up at him, fear in her eyes. "I'm here. They gotta get our boy out." Her voice faltered then and Caine heard it crack.

"Jupiter?" Kiza called with a seriousness. "I need you to listen to me." Jupiter looked up at her fro the floor. "I can't give you the kind of drugs I gave Caine, not for something like this. I need you to understand that I can give you something to dull your senses but your going to feel much of it. I'm sorry I don't have supplies to make this more comfortable for you and we need to move now. Do you understand?"

Jupiter's eyes were wide but she nodded. "Jupiter reached out for some discarded sheets that had been cut up and dumped on the floor. She wadded up the cotton and put it in her mouth. She nodded at Kiza, her eyes glazing over again. Kiza nodded back and prepared her knife while Stinger bought in clean sheets and other instruments.

Caine lay there feeling helpless while a fear crept up on both he and Jupiter. What could he do? Nothing.

So when Kiza asked if Jupiter was ready and she nodded before turning her gaze to Caine, he did the only thing he could muster. He stretched his lead heavy good arm out to his side and reached his fingers for Jupiter's hand and he let her hold on to it while she writhed and screamed into her gag.


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

Small mercies meant that Jupiter eventually slipped into unconsciousness as Kiza worked away with all the attention and care that she always did but with this operation, like Caine's, there was the added pressure of working on someone you love and having the pressure of other people you love, people counting on you not to fuck it up. It was almost too much for her to bare but Stinger was with her with supporting, calming words of encouragement. He knew this was a huge undertaking for her. He wished she didn't have the burden but Caine, Jupiter, Lexi and the baby were family. Jupiter wasn't just her Queen, she was her friend, the sister she never had. Kiza took deep slow never steadying breaths momentarily. With the depths of her concentration from time to time she'd forget to breathe at all and then Stinger's soothing voice would fill the silence, breathe Kizzy, breathe.

Caine has also lapsed back into oblivion barely able to keep his eyes on Jupiter it was sheer will alone that caused him to rouse from his own nightmare at Jupiter's emotional pain for the short moment that he did and now they both lay there, one of the ground, one on the bed, eyes closed, one hand interlocked with the other. Jupiter's blood pressure was irratic as Kiza deftly cut deep into her flesh and retrieved a small bluey-grey, blood covered bundle. She handed the tiny balled up, still form to Stinger who was standing by with a towel. Kiza clamped the umbilical cord and retrieved the placenta.

"He's not making any noise Kiza." Stinger said worried.

"Massage his chest, you've done it before."

"With a puppy Kiz this is a baby,"

"Remember who his father is Dad. Massage his chest."

Stinger cleaned the mucous and blood from the little ones air ways and placed him in the palm of one hand, his tiny limbs bunched up under his lifeless little body. Stinger used two fingers to massage the babies chest. He was shaking his head. "It's not working kid, it's not..."

"Just keep doing it," Now Kiza was the calm soothing one. She needed to finish cleaning up Jupiter and stitching her closed. Silently she was praying. There was a low hum in the distance, like an electrical fault but the sound wasn't coming from the house. It was the bees. They were gathered outside.

"They know something's wrong," Stinger said absently.

"I know" Kiza didn't look up from what she was doing but she knew time was running out. The baby had been unconscious for a little too long.

"Take your shirt off Dad, he needs your body heat. Hold him close and keep massaging him."

Stinger did as instructed. He held the little life against his chest in the crook of his arm and kept up his ministrations. His voice was a low whisper, "Please breathe little man, ya parents have been waiting all this time to meet you. We all have and I know you've had a bit of a rough time tonight but ya strong. Ya from strong stock lad so you gotta breathe for us son...please..."

Stinger glanced over at Kiza who was finishing up with Jupiter. His gazed moved over to the unconscious Caine lying with his bandaged stump across his chest and his good arm outstretched, fingers meeting Jupiter's, then back at the bundle in his arms.

"Don't leave em son..." he whispered laying a kiss on the boys tiny pale forehead.

The bundle contorted then both sneezed and coughed into Stinger's face. Stinger's eyes widened, he kept rubbing the babies chest as his tiny lungs started to work wheezing and coughing into life and then with one deep gasp and a couple of coughs the crying, and never had Stinger or Kiza heard such a wonderful sound.

"That's my boy!" Stinger smothered the boys head in kisses before pulling a sheet around both of them. "Oh you had us worried there lad. Don't do that again."

"Well done Dad. Keep an eye on him and I'll check him over in a sec."

And Kiza did so. The baby was fine for being 7 weeks early. Stinger put him to sleep in a storage box he was so tiny. Then they had to clean up the spare room and some how turn it into an infirmary that could house Jupiter, Caine and the baby. Night turned into late morning and it took all of Kiza's persuasion to keep Lexi out of the spare room long enough to hide the horrors of the previous night but when she got to see her little brother she was besotted.

"This is your baby brother." Kiza said lowering the storage box so Lexi could see inside.

"He's small" she said, her nose wrinkled in contemplation.

"Yes he is, he's a baby like you were once."

"Wasn't so small," she argued.

"How do you know?"

Lexi shrugged, "I dunno." She reached into the box and poked his arm. "Whats he do?"

Kiza smiled, "Not much, he's had a very long day so he's going to sleep for a bit"

"And then?"

"And then he might wake up and cry a little and poop and then eat and sleep again."

"Boring! I going to watch TV" and with that Lexi padded off to the living room.

"Oh she'll love that boy, fiercely, just you wait." Stinger said rounding the corner into the room. He glanced over at Kiza who had bags under her eyes. "You need to sleep. Leave me to watch this lot and get some shut eye."

"I can't I need to keep an eye on their vitals and Lexi needs breakfast, the baby needs close monitoring and someone needs to call the Aegis, let them know what the hell happened last night." She was pacing but Stinger stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

"Go to bed. I've left breakfast for Lexi in front of the TV, I can watch their vitals and I can wake you up if anything comes up. We'll call the Aegis later. Everything can wait. You're the only doc we've got sweetheart so we need ya fresh and rested. Now go." He placed a kiss on her forehead. "You did good kid."

Kiza smiled and nodded in defeat. "Thanks Dad." She made her way up to her bedroom and shut the door behind her and all at once the weight of everything that had happened hit her like a punch to the chest and she stumbled back against the door, her breath short and ragged. Then the tears came. Overwhelmed with the previous nights events she never had time to process but now she did and it all hit her at once but it helped. She took a deep breath after a while, had a long shower and slept like she'd never slept before.

Six hours later felt like 24 when Kiza was awoken by a small finger poking her in the cheek.

"Kizza." Lexi was whispering but her prodding was less subtle.

"What's up Lex?" Kiza rolled on to her back yawning.

"Unky Stinna says to come get you. Mommy waked up."

"Ah ok hun," Kiza swung her legs from the bed to the ground. "Let's go make people feel better."

Back in the makeshift infirmary on the ground floor Jupiter was indeed awake and surprisingly chipper. Stinger had helped prop her up with pillows so she could sit up a little.

"Hey Jupe, how you feeling?" Kiza took her temperature and her pulse.

"Like I've been shanked. Hard!" But she was smiling.

"I'm sorry it had to happen that way. How long have you been awake?"

"Not sure," Jupiter glanced over at Caine. "I kinda drifted in and out of sleep. I hoped maybe when I woke next so would he. I wanted us to meet our son together."

Kiza sympathised, "He'll come round soon enough but in the mean time, you wanna see your boy?"

Jupiter's face beamed while she watched Kiza reach down into the small box by the bed and pull out a tiny bundle. Jupiter tried to reach out to her but pain tore through her abdomen and she winced.

"Careful there Jupe, your gonna be sore for a while yet. I don't want you to tear your stitches but I'll see if I can get you something for the pain." She lowered the sleeping bundle into Jupiter's arms carefully.

"Oh my god. He's so tiny." Jupiter held him close. "Is he okay? Is he healthy?" Worry spread across her face.

Kiza explained that the baby was born not breathing and how Stinger coaxed him to life. "He's early so he's got some weight to put on and his lungs are a little weak but they should strengthen in time. He's a strong one."

"Thank you Kiza. I really mean it. You saved all of us. We owe you our lives."

Kiza just nodded gracefully. Then Stinger came into the room sweeping Lexi up in his arms causing her to giggle.

"Unka Stinna, Mommy's holding the baby.!"

"Is that so?" he mused with her, "I thought I was holding the baby..."

"Nuh uh," she wrinkled her nose, "I'm not a baby, I'm nearly 3."

"Well now that is old. I guess that makes you a big sister then huh?"

"Yep yep, I gonna make the baby be good."

"Bossy like ya Mother." He slung Lexi over his shoulder and smiled down at Jupiter. "You look well Majesty."

"Thanks Stinger. And Kiza told me what you did for him," she nuzzled the bundle in her arms, "I'm in your debt."

Stinger shook his head, "We're in each others. Love."

Jupiter smiled back at him.

"I've been looking up prosthetic options for Caine. There's a lot to choose from. I've booked the Surgeon that fitted our wings. She's on hold for the surgery as soon as you're ready."

"Thanks Stinger."

Jupiter had barely had time to think about Caine's hand. Partly because she really didn't want to accept that he's been mutilated so and partly because she'd been a little distracted what with the unexpected labour and all but much later that night which was creeping into the early hours of day three after the ordeal, Jupiter lay in bed beside Caine as she nursed their son and allowed herself to process what had happened to them. It was painful and it made her angry and confused and vengeful for a time but in the end she took a breath and sighed. More than anything else she was just exhausted. She wanted her life back, her family. She'd lost so much to her so called entitled status and she was ready to tell herself she was certain it wasn't worth it until the small baby in her arms looked up at her with big glassy grey eyes, his small mouth still clamped around her breast. That's when the counter argument flooded back to her. She'd lost friends, family and an old life she pretty much hated but she'd gained so much in the process. She had a new family of her own, new friends who were as good as family and a partner who fit her completely. Yeah she'd been given a shit load of lemons but she had to admit that in the grand scale of things, she'd made some pretty decent lemonade.

Caine was stirring beside her. He lay on his back, the bandaged stump of his wrist lay across his stomach to keep it elevated. He'd drifted in and out of sleep for the last 3 days, never really fully present. Kiza had him some kind of nutritional shots. Something that replaced a drip so he was at least getting fluids and not wasting away. He did look pale though, his skin even hotter to the touch than usual. Kiza had said that part of Caine's healing process included raised body temperature levels and it was nothing to be too worried about.

"He's here?..." Caine's voice was a groggy whisper of it's former self. His throat dry from the lack of fluids passing his lips for days.

"Caine!...Don't try to speak...wait.." before Jupiter could finish Stinger was bounding into the room closely followed by Kiza and her med bag.

"About bloody time ya lazy good for nothin'..." Stinger grumped.

Jupiter smiled, she knew Stinger loved Caine and vice versa.

"Hey Stinger," Kiza was emptying a bag of something liquid into Caine's mouth.

"Slowly..." she warned him not to chug it.

Caine helped Kiza prop Caine up beside Jupiter and then she went about her checks on him. She'd already changed his bandage while he was asleep so she left that alone.

"He feeding ok?" Kiza nodded over at Jupiter.

"Lil tricky at first but I think hunger forced him to get the hang of it, " Jupiter smiled back caressing his head.

Kiza gave him a quick once over too. "He's temperature could be a little higher but it's nothing to worry too much about."

"I'll fix that.." Caine said forcing his voice louder than the initial whispers he was mustering. "I've slept enough. Time I met my son."

Jupiter smiled, "Damn right." She waited for the baby to finish up and burp then gave him to Kiza to hand to Caine. Kiza unwrapped the blankets from around the baby and lowered him into Caine' good arm. Caine was shirtless so the baby and he were skin to skin and as if he knew Caine was his father, he snuggled down in the crook of his arm with another burp and went straight to sleep.

Kiza began checking on Jupiter's bandages but Caine's eyes wouldn't come off the sleeping child.

"He's so small." he whispered mesmorised.

"Well he could have done with a little more baking but he's good. He's healthy." Jupiter replied.

Caine's face was a blank mask. He shook his head but it was a tiny movement. "He's a runt like I was."

Jupiter's brow furrowed, "Please don't call him that."

Caine's eyes never came off the baby, "It's just Lexi came out so big and strong and..."

Jupiter cut in, "Caine drop the macho bullshit. He is premature. He's going to be small. Lexi is amazing and so is your son. Look how you turned out and you didn't have two loving parents. He'll be bigger than you before long."

Caine finally looked up at Jupiter who was staring at him with pleading eyes. He nodded at her, "I'm sorry, you're right. It's just my left over baggage. He's perfect." His eyes went back down to the sleeping baby. "My son."

Kiza finished up changing Jupiter's bandages. "Don't worry Jupe, Caine's just mad he's been pushed down the access order for your boobs."

"Go find my hand Kiza, it's flipping you off."

Kiza laughed, "I'll go get you guys something to eat."

Stinger had been unusually quiet up till then but as he also turned to leave to check on Lexi he turned back to them, "Well done kids." and with a rye wink he was gone.

Jupiter looked down at Caine holding their son. He was a mass of bruises and bandages.

"Are you in pain?" She asked.

Caine just shook his head, "Comes and goes. What about you?"

"It only hurts when I laugh or move." she smiled, "But Kiza said I should heal up pretty good. You too."

Caine's eyes moved down to his bandaged stump for a moment. He could still feel the shadow of the hand that was once there.

"Stinger said he's got some surgeon on standby to fit you with a prosthetic when you're ready." Jupiter reached a hand out brush her fingers over Caine's brow. "I'm so sorry."

Caine closed his eyes and let out a slow ragged breath. It kinda hurt to breathe but he wouldn't let on. "Have the Aegis been consulted?" He was changing the subject but Jupiter let him. He needed to process in his own way.

"I think Stinger did. They were supposed to be sending clean up and investigators, I'm not sure. As soon as Little man came..."

"Yeah,...he kinda has that affect." Caine was smiling at him now where as before he was just staring transfixed. "I remember when Lexi was born and I was terrified when you put her in my arms."

"And you're not scared anymore?"

"I don't know. This feels different someone. Not un-scary but...calmer?"

"Well Lexi did meet us kicking and screaming. Your son came out silent."

"Silent?" Caine queried.

"Kiza said he wasn't breathing. Stinger used his body heat and massaged his heart till he came back to us."

"He did? Why didn't he say?"

"Why would he? We'd have done the same for him. So you see he may be small but he's already fought a couple of huge battles and he's only 3 days old. He's a fighter like his Dad."

"And his Mother."

Jupiter smiled at Caine. "If I could move I would kiss you."

"Bank it." Caine smiled back, "When we're all back in one piece we can...re-group." His eyes held a wicked glint.

Stinger was at the door shaking his head. "Is that all you two think about? You're like a bunch of horny teenagers."

"Don't worry Stinger for the next few weeks I'm gonna be a glorified dairy cow."

Stinger chuckled and lay a tray of light refreshments down on a side table by the bed.


	16. Chapter 16

Ok this really is the end of the story. Thanks to everyone for the follows and the kind reviews. This is a little fluffy but it's just a little wrap up, I don't think I can justify any more turmoil for these two. This was my first fic to ease me into writing again just in general and I quite enjoyed it so I may well do some more. Watch this space.

Thanks again for reading. WB x

CHAPTER 16

-10 weeks later-

Jupiter was reclining on a makeshift porch swing feeding baby CJ. They'd gone through a bunch of boys names but nothing really stuck. They wanted to name him after Stinger but Stinger himself said the boy would have enough to contend with in life without that burden of a name. He then said, "the boy's walking his father's path, just this time he's got the right company. Why not Caine Junior?" Stinger had turned to Caine one day and out of the blue, "He's you lad, with all the chances you deserved but never had." Jupiter had never been a fan of naming children after their parents but some how this felt right. Baby CJ was also given Jupiter's father's middle name for good measure. That felt right too.

Baby CJ clung to her breast for dear life but his big hazel eyes were disappearing under heavy lids. Lexi was in the kitchen with Kiza making waffles and Stinger was in the workhouse speaking to the Aegis. The sun was growing heavy in the sky as Caine walked out on to the creaking old porch. He sat down next to Jupiter with two beers in his hand.

"How's my boy?" He leaned down and lay a kiss on the infants head.

Jupiter yawned, "This is all he wants. To fall asleep while he's eating, his table manors are disgraceful."

Caine smiled mischievously, "I could think of worse things to fall asleep nibbling on." He brushed some hair from Jupiter's face and tucked it behind her ear.

Jupiter looked down and baby CJ was finally asleep. She could tell as he willingly released her nipple, his tiny mouth still formed an O and his tongue suckled air for the removed teet. Caine reached for him and Jupiter handed him over for Caine to burp. CJ curled up into a ball against Caine's broad shoulder like a cat on a ledge. He was still so small but growing every day. Caine rubbed gentle circles against the babies back while Jupiter adjusted her nursing bra.

"Hey don't put that away on my account."

"Pervert,"

"Can you blame me, it's been...a while."

"It's not been that long has it?" Jupiter tried to do the math.

"10 weeks Majesty."

"Woah, I guess we've had so many other things to worry about." She glanced at his prosthesis. It looked like his original hand with a few added extras. The wrist hand an input that meant Caine could jack into certain computer interfaces. It was made from a special material that meant Caine could still process sensation, but not in the way he did before.

"How are you dealing with your new..." Jupiter nodded at the prosthetic that was rhythmically patting her sons tiny back.

Caine thought a moment, "It's still weird but I guess i'm getting used to it."

"And you're sure this is the one you want? I mean there was so much choice you can get something else if you want."

"Like a hook?"

Jupiter rolled her eyes at Caine, "You know what I mean jackass."

Caine smiled at her. It was good that he could joke about it now. There was a time a while back where she wasn't sure if he would ever get over the horrific incident. He still woke up in a sweat from time to time but she knew he was working through it the best way he knew how.

"I think for now this works for me," Caine lay his hand in Jupiter's lap to clasp her fingers in his. "It looks kinda real. It responds to me the best so far and I feel your hand when I hold it. I can touch my children's faces and I feel it and I can burn through a class 1 motherboard in under 20 secs."

"Well high prosthetic five Weiss." Jupiter and Caine high fived laughing.

It had taken them a long time to get to where they were now but they still had a long way to go. Caine got up. "I'm going to put him bed."

Jupiter nodded ok. As Caine was walking off she called after him holding up the beer. "Hey that thing gotta bottle opener?"

Caine shot her a glare. "Don't push it Jupe."

Jupiter chuckled and sat on the porch swing drinking her beer.

"You know CJ's gonna drink that too right?" Kiza strolled out to the porch and stood in the doorway leaning against the frame.

"Oh give it a rest 'Mom' Baby will be asleep for the next few hours, hopefully till morning so I get to have a lil go go juice. I've earned it."

Kiza tilted her head in contemplation and smiled, "Guess I can't argue with that."

"Where's Lexi?"

"I left her indoors 'helping' Stinger fix a something that didn't need fixing."

Jupiter shook her head smiling and passed the beer bottle to Kiza, "I'm sure he'll repay you for that some how."

Kiza smiled and took a swig, "Yeah but for now it's totally worth it. Lexi demanded her very own 'skoodiver' took Dad a while to figure that one out." Kiza passed the bottle back to Jupiter. "Where's Hand Solo?"

Jupiter rolled her eyes, "I don't know how you get away with calling him that. And he's putting CJ to bed." There was a moment of silence then Jupiter grew serious. "Hey Kiz, you got anything for sleeping, to help people sleep?"

Kiza sat down on the porch swing beside Jupiter. "Caine still having the nightmares?"

Jupiter nodded. "Two weeks ago he got into such a state he thought he was back there again. He went to attack me but woke up at the last minute before anything could happen but he's refused to sleep in the same bed with me ever since."

Kiza looked concerned, "You should have told me. I wondered why he was always in CJ's room first thing in the morning."

"I asked him if I could get something from you to help him but he's refused. He says he doesn't want anything in his system that will make him less alert. He feels like he needs to be on guard all the time and it's not healthy."

"I'm Sorry Jupe. Caine is hard headed, he won't take any help from me at this stage. You're probably the best bet at getting through to him. Looks like a touch of PTSD and that can take a while to work through."

"I dunno Kiz."

"Try it. When was the last time you guys really talked about it?"

"I've tried on and off, I've not wanted to push him. He's had a lot to deal with over the last few months."

"So have you Jupiter. I know he's had a hard time but you've been right there with him. You both got wounds need healing so why not do that together? The only people who can really understand what you're going through are each other and no drugs are gonna do that job better for you."

Jupiter sighed then smiled at the doe eyed Kiza, "When the hell did you get to be so smart?"

Kiza shrugged, "Try living with my Dad all ya life. You pick up a few things."

Jupiter pulled Kiza into a hug. "Thank you."

She then got up as the sun was setting and stretched her aching body. She was healing well but she still got stiff when sat still for too long. Kiza gave her some exercises to do to help her with that but she wasn't great at following doctors orders.

When Jupiter got to the top of the stairs she went into her and Caine's bedroom to find him leaning over the crib beside the window. CJ liked moonlight while he slept. Jupiter had made a werewolf joke once that Caine didn't think was super funny. She thought it was hilarious.

She walked up behind Caine who was just gazing at the sleeping baby boy who was wearing "'howl at the milk" onsie (a gift from Kiza), mesmerised. He did that a lot. Jupiter put her hands on his shoulders and Caine leaned into her. Jupiter kissed his shoulder.

"You gonna do that every night? Just watch him sleep?"

Caine turned his head to press his lips to one of the the hands she had laid on his shoulder. "He's so peaceful."

Jupiter smiled into Caine's back running her hands down the strong muscle and under his arms to splay against his chest, holding him closer to her. "He knows he's safe and sound and he's had enough milk to drown a cow. He's basically a drunk." She nuzzled his shoulder while her hands moved lower on Caine's strong stomach but as she got to his waist he stopped them and gently pulled her hands away from him.

"We should rescue Stinger from Lexi."

Jupiter exhaled and forced a smile, "She's fine, she's sleeping over in Kiza's room tonight. They're building a fort."

"Oh," Caine said trying to hide his disappointment. He sat down on the bed and started taking his boots off.

"Caine?" Jupiter called over to him, her arms folded tentatively around herself. "What can I do for you? What do you need from me?" Her eyes were pleading.

Caine continued removing his boots and set them aside. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm fine Jupe." He got up and moved toward her reaching out to lay a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I'm gonna take a shower."

Jupiter walked over to the bed and sat down exhausted both mentally and emotionally. Her eyes settled on her son sleeping in his crib. Caine was right, he was extremely peaceful. Nothing really seemed to phase him but he was only a few months old. He didn't have much to worry about other than eating, pooping and sleeping. The only thing he ever done with any urgency was demand to be born and even that was done in silence.

Jupiter put her head in her hands and massaged her brow as Caine came out of the shower. He had a towel round his waist and another smaller towel drying his hair into spiked peaks. It had grown out some since he'd been recuperating.

"Headache?" he called over seeing Jupiter massaging her temples.

She shook her head remaining silent, not raising it from her hands. Caine stopped towelling his hair and pulled on a pair of shorts quickly. He circled the bed and sat down beside Jupiter concerned, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Jupe?" He felt her inhale deeply then exhale a ragged breath before she pulled away and stood up to face him.

"I don't want to push you Caine. I know you have your own pace and I respect that I really do but this..." She gestured between the two of them, "this scares me and I can't keep pretending that it doesn't matter anymore."

Caine let Jupiter keep the space between them. He was standing there in his shorts with the ugly scars from his battles adorning his torso and arm and he never looked more vulnerable. Jupiter just wanted to be pulled against that chest and stay there in his warmth.

"I know a lot has happened and I know you're not a super touchy feely kinda guy but I thought after what happened with Balem and Titus you finally felt like you could talk to me Caine. That night in the woods changed you, changed all of us,..."

"It's my fault." Caine interrupted.

"It's not," Jupiter replied back.

"It is!" Caine ran a hand down over his face and took a deep breath. "I swear to protect you over and over again and I fail. I can barely protect you from them, " He gestured to the window, "I never thought I would have to protect you from me."

Jupiter looked into Caines eyes trying to understand what he must be feeling, trying to keep her own frustrations at bay but it was proving difficult. "Caine you can't keep torturing yourself. We have plenty of people ready to do that for us. You know I love you and you know I trust you. The nightmares are going to take a while to stop but you aren't helping them by avoiding them. You didn't hurt me that night."

"But I could have Jupe! I had my hands around your neck!"

Jupiter's hand instinctively went up to soothe the area where the now healed bruise was. She pulled it back but not in enough time for her not see Caine flinch at her action.

"Caine, you and I, we're the grown ups here. We've got a family to look after. We need to be strong for them which means we need to be on the same page with each other. If you start avoiding us now, where does it end?"

"I know Jupiter, I know what's wrong I just don't know how to fix it. In the Legion they would medicate stuff like this away but I told Kiza I don't want to do that."

Jupiter's shoulders lowered with tiredness, "You don't have to know the answers Caine, you just need to have the courage to explore the question. You can trust me but you really need to trust yourself. I can't do that for you. I guess I'll just have to wait until you're ready. I'm gonna go to bed."

Jupiter left Caine where he stood as she turned on the bedside lamp and turned off the overhead light. CJ was fast asleep and would be till morning.

Conflicting emotion raged through Caine's mind, anger, pain, frustration, fear and a medley of others. He was fighting to keep them under control. Jupiter tossed a pillow at him, "Here, guess you'll need this."

It wrenched at Caine's heart. All the time he thought he was saving her from him, protecting her but he wasn't. He was punishing her, punishing the both of them.

Caine walked over to the door and turned back one last time. Jupiter had her back to him as she wrestled with a pillow trying to get it into a clean case. He could see her shoulders jerking momentarily as she fought back tears. How many nights had she done that? She was his partner, his Queen, his best friend and he was hurting her, again. He dropped the pillow at the door and walked back over to Jupiter in silence. He bought his body flush to her back and pulled her against his chest, his strong arms wrapped round her shoulders. At first she tensed up on instinct as if this might be some cruel joke but he didn't let her go until her body relaxed against his. Caine rested his head against hers inhaling the scent of her hair. Still with no words spoken he let his hands run down Jupiter's arms gently but firmly. He briefly let them interlock fingers before letting go and running his hands to the hem of her shirt dress. He took the hem in his hands and pulled the dress slowly up off of her body in one fluid movement. Caine took a step back to undo the clasp on Jupiter's nursing bra and slid it down her arms. She folder her own arms across her chest suddenly feeling vulnerable.

Caine hooked his hands into Jupiter's underwear and slid them down from her hips to the floor and let her step out of them. He stood back up then did the same with his shorts. He took Jupiter by her hips and pulled her into him, his growing hardness pressing against her. He ran both his hands around her hips and across her stomach dipping low enough to caress her C section scar. It was still a little angry and raised so he was gently. He leaned his mouth down to Jupiter's ear with a whisper, "Does it hurt?"

Jupiter couldn't find words to reply. She couldn't comprehend fully of the feeling of having Caine attempt to return to her emotionally so she just shook her head and kept her eyes closed.

Caine left one hand covering the scar on Jupiter's abdomen and the other he let travel back up her body to move her arms from covering her breasts to replace them with his own. He lay a soft kiss on her shoulder, then the side of her neck and when his lips returned to her ear he whispered two simple words, "Marry me."

Jupiter turned in Caine's arms and buried her face in his chest. She let him near crush the air from her body with his embrace. Jupiter bought his prosthetic hand her her lips and kissed each finger. She splay her hands on his chest and kissed each scar before returning to his beautiful mouth and those stunning eyes. He didn't need her to speak the words, he could see the answer on her face and with that he took her to bed.


End file.
